


Dawn of the Gods

by Cthultystka



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: A they're all probably a bit ooc, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, BAMF Loki (Marvel), BAMF Tony Stark, Bad Decisions, F/M, Family Drama, Female Loki (Marvel), Just an asshole, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, M/M, Mythology References, Poor Life Choices, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Thor (Marvel) is Not Stupid, Thor is not a Good Bro, Worldbuilding, ignores infinity war, loki is a little shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-04-26 15:30:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 82,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14405070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cthultystka/pseuds/Cthultystka
Summary: When Thor gets lost in space, it falls on Loki to get what's left of Asgardians to Earth and build them a new home. All while navigating midgardian politics and avoiding getting recognized. And having a tryst with one of his mortal enemies, because why the hell not?





	1. The Landing

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic right after watching 'Thor Ragnarok'. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed by the story, especially portrayal of the characters, both Thor and Loki. This fic was meant to fix some problems I have with this movie. It's mostly Loki and Asgard-centric (because we didn't have enough of that in the movies and I had tremendous fun filling the gaps). It's not exactly Thor-friendly, but after reading some amazing works I managed to gain some symapthy and changed my characterization of him a bit. Still, he's mostly absent from the first half of the story.
> 
> Also, I wrote most of it before we knew anything about Infinity War, apart from the trailer leaked from that Disney event, so it's not compliant with anything that came after.

The ship floats up, filling the bridge's view.

„Oh no,” Loki slips, before he can stop himself.

The ship is big, bigger than any structure known to man – except for old Asgard, of course, but that no longer exists. It's long and twisted, its surface rough, as if marked by millions pieces of space debris it encountered over millennia. But it's not the size nor even the unmissable aura of ancient evil it emanates that make Loki shiver. It's the memory.

„A friend of yours?” asks Thor. His voice sounds casual, confident as always, but his face is serious. They are alone on the bridge; with the course set there's not much to do and most Asgardians have neither knowledge nor interest in space travel technology. As long as it worked, they'd rather just let it be. So it seems like a perfect place for two of them to have a face to face conversation without the fear of being bothered. Until now.

Loki opens his mouth to answer, but then Valkyrie walks in. In a few days they spent in space since the destruction of Asgard she slipped into a position of an executive officer, dealing with day to day maintenance. Of them all she has the most experience with space travel and solving problems related to it comes naturally to her.

„Um, you guys see the same thing I see?” she asks, but before any of them has a chance to answer, one of the lights on a console flares up, indicating an incoming message. The woman looks at Thor for confirmation and apparently receiving it, she pushes a single button. The screen on the left of the window flares up, showing the familiar face that make Loki wish he'd died in Ragnarök.

At first Thanos looks at Thor, but his gaze quickly shifts to Loki and his lips twists with a wicked smile.

„Look what the comet brings,” he says with almost mirth to his voice. The sheer sound of it makes Loki want to scream and run, run, doesn't matter where, as long as it's far away... But there's nowhere to run. Not then. Not now. Never. His breathing gets heavy, his eyes wide in fear. But no one seems to notice or care. Thor only sends him a quick glance before returning to the interloper, who now returns his gaze, recognizing him as the leader. “You have something that belongs to me. That little treacherous rat at you side. Give him to me, and maybe I'll let the rest of you go.”

Trickster senses his brother's curious gaze and pales. Fighting fright, he lifts his head to meet it.

“No,” he whispers, shaking his head. The memories floods him, Thor's bright blue eyes on his face, his lips curved in a faint smile, and then his back turned as he walks away, his steps light, as if he just shed some heavy burden, when Loki squirms on the floor in agony, abandoned, left to die. “Please, don't do this. He's lying, Thor, he's not gonna let you go. He'll take me and destroy you, you can't deal with him, you can't bargain with him.”

“Loki...”

“No, listen to me!” He jerks forward, breaking through paralyzing fear and grabs Thor's arms. “I know things between us hasn't been great, but that's not the way. You can't gain anything, you'll just... Put everyone in danger.” And then in the act of desperation, he makes another argument, one he knows will resonate stronger with the God of Thunder. “It won't stop with me, you know. He'll break me and use me, send me to another world, like he sent me to Earth, he'll make me into a weapon. Innocents will die!”

“Loki!” Thor's yell finally breaks through his rambling and Loki's mouth shuts with almost audible clock. A single tear rolls down his cheek.

“Please,” he whispers one last time and Thor's face twists with pain as he breaks his brother's grip just to grab Loki himself.

“You really think I would hand you over?” the Thunderer asks, voice brimming with barely contained emotions.

“You wanted to hand me to Midgardians,” Loki whispers barely loud enough to be heard. He still remembers the shock he felt when he heard the decision and it felt surprisingly like Gungnir slipping from his hands. He's been good! He came back, he did as he was told. He saved them all. And yet still... It was not enough. He was not enough. And now they're coming to Earth where Thor will be hailed as a hero and Loki will be persecuted and no one will stand for him, because Thor...

Thor doesn't care anymore.

So why does he take a step back with a look of utter shock on his face?

“Hand you? Do you really think that I would...? You're my brother!”

“And wanted criminal on Midgard,” Loki adds, swallowing something bitter rising to his throat. He forces a smile, not caring how bitter it comes out, and asks with a mix of mockery and resignation: “Do you think you friends would welcome me with open arms?”

“They are my friends, they wouldn't hurt you. Nor anyone else. Do you really think that I would take you there only to...? Do you really think so low of me?!”

And Loki wants, oh so much to believe, to trust Thor like he once used to... But he can't. Too much was done, by both of them and Thor has already proven himself as capable as Loki in the art of treachery. And if the choice is between Trickster and the whole Asgard, is it even a question which side will Thunderer pick? He doesn't even consider Loki a brother anymore. He left him to die on Sakaar and thought nothing of it. No, Loki has no reason to put his trust in Thor.

But he can't bring himself to say that, his throat constricted with fear and pain. He just looks up at his brother, with unspoken plea in his eyes. Begging for help even he doesn't expect to come, but can't help wanting.

“Don't flatter yourself,” comes from the screen and they both realize that Thanos is still watching. He seems even more amused than before and Loki feels his stomach turning again. “I have no use for a weapon that tries to blow in my hands. But I will enjoy your screams. And you, Thor? I remember your name. He was calling it when I was breaking him to pieces. He thought you could save him. But you can't even save yourself. Here, let me make myself more clear.”

He moves a hand, but the small screen doesn't allow Asgardians to see exactly what he's doing. However outside of their window the giant ship shifts, the cyclopean plates, each as big as a continent, slide away revealing a dark opening from which the swarm of Chitauri ships emerges. They are small, but there's a lot of them, certainly more than enough to overpower Asgardians and they move too fast to leave any hope for escape.

“Do we have any weapons?” Thor turns to Valkyrie, earning himself dubious gaze.

“It's a cargo ship,” she says. “We have few guns and two swords.”

“He wants us alive,” blurts Loki. “If he tried to kill us, a single shot would turn our ship into stardust.”

“Death is too good for you” remarks Thanos, still present. He's not smiling anymore, if anything he looks slightly bored. “But who knows, maybe you'll finally meet her.” He shifts his gaze to Thor and his lips twist again in a faint parody of a smile. “By the hand of the one you thought could save you.”

The screen goes dark and moment later their ship shakes when Chitauri jets land on it. Close enough, Asgardians can see that all assailants have a similar mosquito-like shapes and are barely big enough to hold one or two fighters. Each jet has three legs ending with a magnetic plates and long bow topped with a gun. As soon as they attach, the guns curve downward and shoot beams of light straight at their hull. Mere seconds later bright spots start appearing on the inside walls.

“Any ideas?” asks Valkyrie with eyes glued to the nearest spot.

“Let them come,” Thor grumbles, lightning shining in his eyes and dancing between his fingers. He turns toward the nearest spot – that slowly grows into a line – preparing to welcome whoever tries to come through it. But the Valkyrie grabs his arm and forces him to turn toward her.

“There are children and aliens on board. If the hull is breached, they won't survive in the vacuum.”

“Is there any way we can shake these bastards off?”

“Not really. We're going as fast as we can and maneuvering is almost impossible with this pile of crap.”

“Then I'm going to them.”

“Wait.” Now Loki grabs his other arm. He's still sick with fear, his face pale and hands trembling, but he's not petrified. As long as the Mad Titan is not watching... He can fight. He has to fight. “There is another way.”

He waves his hands, left above right, and a glowing blue cube appears in the space between them. Thor instantly recognizes it and gives out exasperated huff. 

“Loki, you son of a...”

“We have the same mother,” Trickster cuts him flatly.

“What is it?” Valkyrie asks impatiently. She never dealt with it before, Loki realizes. She cannot know what that is. And there's no time for a good answer.

“A space stone,” he answers. That has to do for now. Luckily, she understands.

“Can you use it to get us out?”

The line on the wall bends and air starts to seep out through cracks. Loki forces himself to peel his gaze away from it and licks his lips.

“We'll see.”

He clenches his fists around the Tesseract and the light of the gem starts to shine brighter. He feels the tingling caused by familiar Power and lets It into him, filling him up – and spilling, taking him with It, beyond his form, beyond this room, this ship and the galaxy. For one moment it's like the whole universe is his body, galaxies his cells and planets – merely a molecules. Unspeakable amounts of mater shift, molecules collect into a stars, burn and explode into supernovas, all in the same time, in quantities so unimaginable that is feels like eternity – even though only a second passes. His own body, now ridiculously small and insignificant becomes barely tangible. And yet there is Will and it allows him to move – and bring galaxies together or tear them apart as he pleases. But it's not what he has to do. He must focus all his wits to find two infinitesimal points in the Universe, a ship and a planet, two single molecules in this magnificent infinite body and then bring them together.

At this time, he feels nothing but Power. Only later he will recall screams, barely audible over the roar of air being sucked out as Chitauri finally breach the hull.

“They're coming through!” it's Valkyrie, desperately clinging to the cockpit as the rush of escaping air threatens to take her along.

“I'll hold them,” Thor answers and jumps forth, surrounded by lightnings.

“Thor, no!”

She tries to catch him, but then Loki's spell finally works, the ship jerks violently and then everything drowns in a flash of cold, blue light.

Entering the atmosphere is brutal, but it pales in comparison with the impact that follows. They don't really have time to adjust the course, so the whole vessel just rams into the ground, and then, because the directions in space are not always the same as on a surface of planets, it flips over and rolls few times before stopping.

And then comes the darkness.

* * *

“Thor!” Valkyrie's scream tears through the silence. At first she can't even hear herself over the ringing in her ears. She's not sure how much time has passed. All she knows is that her body hurts like the whole damned ship fell exactly on her back. “Loki!”

The bridge, where the three of them were at the time of crash was hit the hardest, so it takes her a while to dig herself out. She walks outside and looks around. The ship landed – well, crashed – on a vast field of pale green grass, dotted with bare rocks. They were lucky though: few feet closer and they would smash into a face of a cliff and fell into the ocean below. The ship is wrecked though, bow completely flattened, long cracks running from front all the way to the exhaust ports. Through them, people start to crawl out. Heimdall's already there, taking out the last Chitauri warriors that somehow survived. The remains of their ships are scattered around the area, some thrown away, others crushed under the bigger vessel.

“Thor!” Valkyrie screams again, but there's no answer. She jumps back into the bridge and starts rummaging through the debris, metal tearing in her hands with a sorrowful protest. Unlike Loki, she remembers everything: bright lines on the wall connecting and metal between them disappearing into the black abyss, the gush of air being sucked out, saliva boiling on her tongue. And even the face of the monster appearing in the opening and then the lightning... Thor didn't mean to leave the ship, but the power he wielded was too great, he couldn't control it... His own thunder pushed him out.

“Thor!”

Finally she notices a movement at her side and jumps there to lift another piece of metal. But the face she sees when the dust settles isn't the one she seeks.

“Where is he?” She grabs Loki's arms and literally rips him from under the rubble. Trickster hisses in pain then blinks a few times, trying to shake off the dust and confusion. The blue light of the Tesseract still burns in his eyes, but it starts to dim and soon gives way to familiar green.

“Who?” he asks, still not fully conscious. The woman clenches her fist and punches him in the face.

“You know damn well who!” she screams pulling him closer. “Thor!”

“Thor.” The name works like an electric shock, bringing Trickster immediately back to reality. “Where is he?”

“He was sucked out of the ship,” she answers. Her anger wanes, replaced by desperation, when she realizes that Loki knows as much as she does. If it's been his fault... If he'd deliberately left Thor behind... Then at least she could avenge him. But if it's been an accident, a stupid string of bad luck, then there is nothing she can do. She gives Loki a pleading look and begs: “Please tell me you took him.”

“I... I don't know.” He shakes his head a few times, once again succumbing to confusion. “He was just there...”

Desperate howl escapes her lungs when she pushes Trickster away and goes back to rummaging through rubble, thinking, hoping that she can still find Thor, get him out. Some of the Chitauri warriors came through with them, so maybe Thor too... Even if he was outside. He would probably be crushed by the whole ship falling on him, but he is an As. He would survive. He had to.

“If he were there, he would already got out,” says Loki, steadying himself on top of the wreck.

“You killed him,” comes from behind, compelling them both to abandon the task and turn around. Small crowd of Asgardians gathered outside of what's left of the bridge, watching them. They must've heard Valkyrie's screams and came to see what's happening. The person that spoke is probably the one standing in front, pointing his finger at Loki: a middle aged man with short hair and dark goatee, dressed like a commoner.

“Don't be ridiculous,” scoffs Trickster, but his face pales and fists clench. “If we're really on Midgard, my sole hope of survival lays with Thor. Why would I kill him?”

“To take his throne,” speaks another man, older, with a lush black beard full of silver strands. His clothing is also richer and more formal – he's even carrying an ornamental sword, suggesting a former general or retired officer. When he gets Loki's attention, his hand demonstratively wraps around the hilt.

“Oh, please!” Loki scoffs again. “Dead men don't need thrones.”

“And they're not gonna get them!” Screams yet another man, barely an adult with red hair and bushy mustache. The crowd growls agreeably and Loki notices people reaching for weapons. Few have knives, but others take out their tools, hammers, chisels and alike, some even pick up pieces of debris. He looks around, but they are surrounded now and even Valkyrie is looking at him with a dash of hostility.

“Wait!” Another young man steps forward. This one is blond, with blue eyes and smooth face, dressed somehow officially but not after Asgardian fashion. Probably a visitor from Vanaheim, tradesman or emissary. “We can't just kill him without any trial!”

“And who's gonna judge him?” asks the General. “Our kings are dead, so are the members of the Thing!”

“Then we need to assemble a new Thing,” insists Vanr.

“Oh, don't bother!” Loki snaps and straightens up, with daggers in both hands. “What trial is that with not one of you standing for me?! I know you curs, all you want is to see me dead. So come forth! Let me show you how the son of Odin dies!”

“Son of Laufey!” Someone Loki can't see spits from the crowd and it burns like a white hot rod drawn through his heart. If he still held any hope of ever being accepted in Asgard, it dies now. He's not one of them. Never was, never will be. No matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries, it's just not happening. He was stupid to come back. Sentimental. Weak.

Better to let it burn.

When did he stopped listening to his own advices? Yes, it would be better – to let them burn, those vipers, those bullies. And himself with them.

“Thor is alive.”

They all turn to see Heimdall, standing just outside the crowd, propped on the sword that's black with Chitauri blood. His eyes shine like golden stars – a certain sign that he's looking at another realm, far away from where he stands.

“He was snatched from the ship during the fight, but he survived long enough to be saved by a group of heroes passing by. Now he's trying to persuade them to take him to Earth.”

“Thank Norns!” comes from the crowd, but once again Loki fails to see the person who said it.

“In the meantime.” Heimdall's gaze shifts to Loki who doesn't flinch, even though the Watcher's gaze burns him to his very soul. “Loki is the only remaining member of Odin's house.”

“No way...” someone tries to speak again, but the Watcher raises his voice, silencing any protests.

“He's the only one who can take over the throne until the righteous king returns.”

The silence that follows is almost physical, pressing chests and pushing air back to lungs. It is Loki who breaks it, jumping down from the rubble. Daggers disappear from his hands, but no one doubts that if the need arises, they will appear instantly.

“Thank you, Heimdall.” The crowd parts, leaving an open way between him and the Watcher, but when two men look at each other there is nothing but hatred in their eyes. “Though I have to admit, I would expect you to be the first to stab me in the back.”

“I'm not doing this for you.”

“No doubt.”

Then the expression on Heimdall's face softens, much to Loki's surprise.

“But I know that you always had only the good of Asgard in your heart. Your intentions were pure, even though your actions were misguided. That's why we will assemble the Thing. To protect Asgard – and you – from yourself. My liege.”

The last part, added after a short hesitation, bears a faint sign of respect and Loki's lips twitch in a faint yet venomous smile. What a nice realization. A shame it came so late. After previous betrayal, Heimdall's acknowledgment means less than the air he uses to utter it.

“Perfect,” spits Trickster. If someone could condensate his voice into a liquid, it would form the strongest poison in the known universe, one capable of killing the strongest of Aesir. He wants to say more, but then a distant sound rumbles through the air and they all turn their heads to look for its source.

“What is that?” asks Valkyrie squinting her eyes to get a better look. But that's impossible: whatever it is, is too far and too high. And small, smaller than any ship that ever landed on Sakaar. But Loki doesn't need to see to know what that is. There's only one contraption like that. And yet...

“I'm not sure,” he says. “Last time I was here they only had one of those.”

And indeed, soon they see a dozen bright spots, flying in perfect formation towards them.

“There is only one man,” clears Heimdall. “The others are just machines.”

“Oh. Well. In that case...” Loki straightens and makes a peculiar gesture, then a wave of green light runs over his body from head to toe. He turns back to the crowd and all men gasp in unison. Because the familiar form of God of Mischief is gone. Instead, before them stands the most gorgeous woman that Asgard ever saw. In many ways she still looks like Loki: pale skin, green eyes, black hair, slender body. Her facial features are a bit different though, more feminine, lips bigger, eyes shadowed by a long eyelashes, hair grown into a long, lush locks, and body definitely more curvaceous. She smiles a wide, self-congratulatory smile while her eyes follow the crowd now staring at her with awe. “If this is who I think it is, then he will want me dead at all cost. That is, if he ever knows who I really am. So this is your last chance. You want to get rid of me? Tell him. Let him do the dirty work for you.”

She's looking at the crowd with a dare, but she already knows she's safe. Asgardians would rather face Ragnarök all over again than let other races meddle in their affairs. And having their royalty killed by a mortal? That would be a disgrace for a whole nation. No, they will not reveal her secret. She smiles sharply and some people shudder noticing how similar she looks to Hela. But when she turns around, she catches a glimpse of Valkyrie giving her the most dubious look this side of the galaxy.

“Are you serious?” the warrior asks. She looks at Trickster's face, but her eyes drop down in disbelief... and something else. Loki arches her eyebrow and smirks, not commenting but deciding to keep that in mind for later.

“Deadly serious,” she answers simply.

In the meantime, what earlier seemed like bright dots becomes larger and eagle-eyed among them can make out the human-like figures made of metal and light. They surround the area but keep their distance, hanging motionlessly hundred feet above the ground. Except for two that circle the group few times before descending. First one looks almost identical to the machines remaining in the air. Asgardians watch with amazement the lavish red and gold armor adorned with a blue gems shining like living stars. Those familiar with seidr can marvel at the power emanating from the man, the lines of energy running through his suit, clearly showing that it's not just a common garment, even though they can't even fathom its full capabilities. The second one looks more modest: it's a man with red skin, dressed in peculiar red, blue and golden suit, so tight that even the brightest can't clearly see where his skin ends and clothing begins. If he even has a suit, or skin for that matter. There's something uncanny in his appearance and for some reason no one doubts that he's not the human Heimdall referred to earlier. But he's also emanating the power, stronger even than the other one. And what draws Loki's attention in particular and makes cold shiver run down her spine is the gem lodged in his forehead. A familiar gem.

The first man lands in a ridiculous and impractical pose, seemingly assumed only to make an impression. Then what looks like a visor slides up revealing a face all too familiar to Loki, though a quick glance is enough to say that passing years weren't kind to the mortal. How many of them there were? Loki can't even say. His time in prison felt like ages, but it couldn't be long judging by the fact that the man's still alive. Mortals. Thor was a fool to attach to them, but then again, his attachment was never really too deep.

“Hello,” says the man rising his hand in greeting. Blue gem at its bottom glares ominously. “I'm Tony Stark. Uh... Welcome to Earth?”

“Greetings,” answers Loki stepping forth and bowing her head slightly. “I'm Leikný, daughter of Odin, queen regent of Asgard.”

„Huh.” Stark sends her a questioning look that makes her a bit uncomfortable. She's confident in her disguise though and if what she knows about the man – and he's anything like Fandrall, from what Barton said many years ago – she's safe. And sure enough, the doubt in his eyes melts slowly, giving room for awe. Yet some thought processes must still run inside his head because he remarks: “Thor never mentioned having a sister.”

“It's strange,” says the second man, looking at Loki with an unwavering intensity. “I feel like I know you.” Stark turns around to give him a dubious look, which apparently is enough to make him realize his gaffe. “Forgive my manners. I'm Vision.”

“You are not a man,” states Heimdall, looking at the stranger. The Watcher's face is impenetrable, but it must be weird for him, speaking with someone whose soul he cannot see. Loki wonders if he'd ever encountered someone like this. Of course, machines were known in Asgard, but they were used for work, they never spoke and never did anything without an order.

“Indeed, I am an android. A sentient robot.”

“Not like the ones up there,” says Stark waving his hand in rather general direction of the machines still hovering in the sky. “They are dependent on my will. He's not. And who are you again?”

“I'm Heimdall.”

“Oh.” Stark nods but something in his face changes. Caution that was there since the beginning and almost disappeared when faced with a beautiful woman, surfaces again, despite the man's attempts to hide it. “You're that guy who sees everything? You know, when my mom told me about god watching from above, I always thought it was just a cautionary tale. To keep us from... choking the chicken or something.”

“We're not gods,” answers Heimdall calmly, seemingly unmoved by Stark's aversion. “And believe me, you haven't done anything I haven't seen many times over.” He sends a quick look to Loki, who shifts her weight and props hand on her hip, smiling seductively. “Even in Asgard.”

“Mm, I bet those night in the Observatory got pretty boring,” Loki murmurs, making Watcher wince in disgust. She laughs heartily.

“Huh.” Stark huffs in response, apparently not sure what to make of it. “So, Lei... dy, what was your name...”

“Leikný,” corrects queen, too amused to take offense.

“Yeah. Are you from Loki's side of the family?”

She stiffens, all amusement vanishing in a blink. What?!

“Pardon?” she asks quietly, trying her best to stop her voice from trembling. She succeeds, at least enough to fool Stark.

“You know Loki, Thor's evil brother. Tall, dark, blue eyes, golden horns...”

“Loki had green eyes,” corrects Valkyrie. Stark looks at her, but then his eyes go blank as he tries to remember what happened so long ago.

“No, they were blue,” he protests.

“Loki always had green eyes,” confirms Heimdall.

“But I remember. We were fighting, he was standing right next to me, his eyes were blue like, like...”

He doesn't finish, his gaze drifts again as his mind wanders. Then his face goes pale as his genius brain apparently comes to realization. When he turns back to Loki, he's pale, his lips trebling and eyes hollow. It almost makes the goddess sympathize.

“Did you ever feel like you made a terrible mistake that cost an innocent man his life?” he asks.

“Loki was hardly innocent,” she replies harshly, perhaps too harshly. She shouldn't let him know she cares. She cannot... be connected to Loki. The man knows too much already. This conversation must end, now! “And he died for Asgard. Hardly an unfitting end.”

“Yeah.” Stark shakes his head, but the troubled expression doesn't leave his face. “Did you... did you talk to him? When he was...?”

“It was forbidden.”

“So we'll never now.”

The queen doesn't answer and the man also goes silent for moment. Talking about Loki is dangerous – but so far no one decided to add something or call queen on her lies. Which is a good sign. But her good mood vanishes when she notices that Vision has been looking at her the whole time and at the very bottom of the gem in his forehead, almost at the verge of a known universe, dances familiar blue light. Loki starts wondering how much control that android has over the gem. Does he know? Can he read her mind? He didn't say anything... yet. But he's a threat she wasn't prepared for. Her illusion is enough to fool all thirty senses known to Asgardians but what if he has more? Against growing revulsion, she tries to bring back those dark times when she felt the power – and constraint – of the gem. She dimly recalls sensations that are not like anything she knows, that she cannot name or describe even now. But what about him? He isn't human nor As, he doesn't necessarily have to follow the same rules as her or anyone she knows. But there must be some boundaries, right? He cannot be omnipotent nor omniscient. That would be her doom.

All because of Thor. Damn you, brother, for bringing me here. And damn me, for following.

“So, what are you doing here? Your whole group?” asks Stark, finally deciding to change the subject. Loki gladly accepts it.

“Asgard was destroyed in Ragnarök. Our group is all that's left of its people.”

“Oh my god.” Stark pales visibly, his eyes widen in shock. “And Thor...?”

She shakes her head and even manages to bring a tear to her eye.

“He was with us. He was the one who decided we should go to Midgard to seek refuge. But we were attacked and forced to... take some desperate measures. We lost him in space...”

She stops dramatically, giving the mortal a chance to soak up their misfortune, but then Heimdall decides to speak.

“I didn't see the ship that attacked us. Not now. And not before. When, as we heard, Loki was held hostage.”

And it makes Loki feel really weird when she realizes that this is supposed to be an apology. In a way, she knows Heimdall's telling the truth. If he knew, the whole situation would unfold very differently. Thor's arrival, the fight, the trial, the imprisonment. But then she recalls the way she got on that ship. Abandonment. Betrayal. Her whole life slipping through her fingers. And all around her, only the people who wanted to watch her fall. This whole mess could have been easily avoided if there was just one soul in this bloody realm that she could trust. No, not to help her destroy Jötunheim. That was stupid and she knows it now. But back then she was so desperate to prove herself... And all she needed was one person for whom she wouldn't have to.

And with that she realizes that she cannot forgive. Not Heimdall. Not Thor. Not Asgard. She came back to save them, but that means she already did more than anyone ever did for her. She owes them nothing. Her duty's over. She can go away, leave this whole mess, this nation of bullies, behind.

And yet she stays.

“The one that dwells there is one of the most powerful beings in the universe,” she says flatly, emotionlessly, like everything she's talking about didn't happen to her. It was someone else. A man she never knew and didn't care about. And she almost believes it. It's either that or falling to the ground screaming until her lungs burst out. “And the most destructive. If he captured Thor...”

“He didn't.”

Loki smiles venomously. Oh, that unshakable faith in Thor. If only they could spare a tenth of it for her... But they don't and for a moment the only thing she feels is the urge to shatter it. Even though she knows how impossible it is.

“Well... Let's just say, the man that will come back may not be the king you love so much.”

And when he does, it will be like New York, all over again. With only one exception. Thor wouldn't lose.

“Thor wasn't captured.”

“Not yet.”

“We can't help him anyway,” breaks in Valkyrie. “We should focus on us. We need to get ourselves together. And it's as Heimdall said: you're the only one that can lead us now.”

“You can stay here if you want,” offers Stark. “I mean, I'll have to run this through with our leaders, but we never say 'no' to people in need.”

“I'm afraid the choice is beyond us, we have no way to get out anyway,” answers Loki flatly. “But we are thankful for your generosity. I promise to cause no grief to your people and no burden to your world.”

“Yeah. Thanks. I'll go now. Try to organize some humanitarian aid. If there's something in particular that you need...”

What do they need? Loki looks at the crowd again and suddenly feels thousand years of indoctrination taking effect. They are her people after all. They may be brutes who gave her nothing but pain, who would turn against her at the slightest provocation, but she is responsible for them. She is their queen, their protector, their keeper ( _only a god of mischief_ ). It is her duty ( _a lie_ ). Her birthright ( _was to die_ ) and burden. And she can yet prove to them ( _she can't_ ) that she's as capable as anyone ( _but not Thor, never as good as Thor, the real Odinson_ ) to fulfill this role ( _son of Laufey!_ ).

She turns back to Stark, face sickly gray, twisted with pain and desperation. She blinks, trying to shake the tears pooling at the corner of her eyes. A part of her wants to scream, but the only sound leaving her lips is merely a whisper.

“Everything.”

The sight of her must have left the impression, because Stark pales himself and nods solemnly.

“Yeah,” he murmurs. “I thought so. Look, it's gonna be fine. We'll help you, we have some experience. We'll figure something out. Just... hang in there, all right?”

He must have thought it's their situation that shook her, she realizes. He cannot know what's going through her head. It's for the best, though. If he focuses on this “humanitarian aid”, perhaps he will leave her alone. And Loki, for that matter.

“Please forgive me if I sound rude,” she says, trying to collect herself. “But we just crashed.” And spent whatever time we had at jumping at each other's throats like a pack of rabid dogs. “We need a while... To organize. See what we have, what we can do, what we need.”

“Sure. Yeah, sorry, I should have known... I'll let you do that. Will be back in a few hours with whatever I can get.”

With these words he closes his armor and darts up, Vision nods goodbye and follows, still without a word. Loki sighs in relief. She decides to stay in female form for now. The mortals are crafty, they may have left some device to observe the intruders. And they will be back sooner or later, so switching forms will be asking for trouble.

“We need to make a list,” she says turning back to the crowd. When she waves her hand, a piece of parchment and quill appears out of thin air. And then she starts speaking louder, to make sure everyone can hear her. “We need to make a list of every person who survived. Please, write down your names, skills, possession. We don't want to take anything from you, but we need to know what we have, what we can use. For common good. If you'd like to volunteer for a Thing, also write that down. Me and Heimdall will look through the candidates and choose those with the most expertise. If there are any engineers among you, write that down as well. We'll need you to go through the wreck and see what you can salvage.” Maybe part of the cargo survived. There wasn't much, mostly alien food, alcohol, some clothes and tools and ton of recreational drugs of course, but it was something. They made a list shortly after boarding, but it's probably gone now. And no longer valid. “Now...” She reaches to her extra-dimensional pocket to pull a handful of magical seeds she keeps for special occasions. She walks a few steps away from the crowd and throws them around. The ground shakes and magic spikes when dozen trees shot up. With a crack they build a solid trunks and branches, a dry rustle foretells coming of the leaves, and finally a series of wet plops signal forming of fruits and nuts, the kind of which have never been seen on Midgard before. Loki turns back to the crowd. “This is my gift to you, people of Asgard. A peace offering.” A sardonic smile twists her lips only to disappear when she realizes what must come next. “Is Idunn around here?”

“No.” A tall woman steps forth. She's in this precious spot, somewhere between middle and old age. Her face is covered with deep lines, but her hair is still dark, without traces of gray, body still strong and step bouncy. Loki knows her all too well: it's Eir, a royal healer. The one whose help she sought so many times in the past. “She died, protecting her gardens.”

“I see.” Loki swallows heavily. In the past, he and Idunn had a few clashes, some could even say that they couldn't stand each other... But in the end Idunn couldn't really hate anyone, not for long anyway, and Loki had better things to do than to harass the royal gardener, so most of the time they were getting along pretty fine. Now the thought that this sweet, innocent thing is dead hits her... hard. Perhaps in this very moment Loki fully realizes that something's over. Gone. For years he thought that it didn't matter, that he lost his home long ago... But even then, at least he knew that it was still there and if he was lucky, he could catch a glimpse of it. But not anymore. It is gone. Almost everyone is dead. Their group, a few hundred people... Is all that's left.

“Fine,” she says finally, shaking the gloomy thoughts off. There will be time for tears. Now they have a work to do. “Any of you know anything about gardening?”

For a moment no one answers, but finally one woman speaks. She's young, plump, with fair skin, two golden braids and freckles all over her face and neck. Dressed in sky-blue dress and a gray coat, with plain pendant on her neck she looks like someone snatched from a festival rather than a survivor. A maid in search for a bachelor.

“I think all of us had gardens in our homes, my liege.”

“Good,” says Loki. “What is your name?”

“Nanna.”

“Nanna. Good. So, you'll be the new royal gardener. Take care of the trees. They will produce food, fruits and nuts, as long as they grow. Distribute them among the people. Children first.” She turns back to the crowd. “Come and eat. Do not swarm, there is plenty for everyone. If anyone among you was hurt, please go speak to Eir.”

It's unlikely that something as trifle as ship crash could hurt Aesir, but better to be on the safe side. What else do they need? Water. Sanitation. Shelter. Everything. A plan. A Thing. So much to do, she doesn't even know where to start. Once again, she feels the urge to ditch this and teleport to another realm, where everything will be done for her.

But she can't.

“Not as easy as eating grapes and watching shows, mm?” she hears Heimdall whispering in her ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Thing" is Old Norse word for assembly (and is still used in Scandinavian countries in local names for parliaments). Originaly it was an assembly of all free men or women from any given region (and local Things send representatives to higher Things until they reached the country level). At least that's acording to wikipedia.  
> I guess that king of Nine Realms doesn't have time for all of his subjects, so he's only dealing with his council, which is the highest Thing. I just wanted to keep this name to mess with Tony in later chapters :)
> 
> Also, after reading [**The Enemy of My Enemy**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1037081) (67747 words) by [**Kadorienne**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kadorienne) and [**King of Asgard**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12549644) (1029 words) by [**ClaraCivry**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden) I'm in a desperate need of fanfics where Loki is a king and Thor isn't the best thing since sliced boar, so if you have any recommendations, I will gladly accept :)


	2. The Queen And The Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Asgardians settle down and cultures clashes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Thing" is Old Norse word for assembly (and is still used in Scandinavian countries in names for parliaments). Originaly it was an assembly of all free men or women from any given region (and local Things send representatives to higher Things until they reached the country level). At least that's acording to wikipedia.
> 
> In this work As (plural: Aesir) is a member of ancient race than originated in Asgard. Asgardian is anyone living in Asgard. So for example Thor and Heimdall are Aesir. Loki is not As, but he's an Asgardian. He's also an ass.
> 
> There's a lot of new characters in this chapter, some will play minor roles later on. I borrowed some from mythology and comics, but most of them are my original creation. If you feel overwhelmed, let me know and I will make a little dramatis personae.
> 
> The Tesseract is supposed to be a gem of space. That aspect is barely touched upon in movies, where it's mostly treated as "a mysterious source of energy", but in my head it should grant the wielder control over, well, space. Which mostly means teleporting. I guess that teleporting something as big as the whole Chitauri ship required more energy than Loki was able to spare, that's why he needed portal during the invasion. Moving smaller objects and people is much easier, that's why he can do it himself.

Stark returns a few hours later, as he promised, leading a column of trucks, with Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song' blasting through the speakers.

“By Norns,” is the first thing he hears when he stops. By this time people of Asgard have already settled: most of them sit in small groups gathered around what looks like dismantled engines turned into hearths. At first, it's impossible to identify the speaker and the reason for this becomes clear when he finally emerges from the crowd. Turns out he's about half the size of an Asgardian male. But he is an adult, judging from the face of a seasoned drunkard and his gray hair. And not human, judging from the pointed ears. “What is this infernal noise?”

“A little music to cheer you up,” responds Tony jumping from the cab. “You're not a Led Zep fan?”

Little man spits and that's the only answer Tony gets. He looks around, but no one else moves from their spots. They just stare at their hearths with various shades of apathy, resignation or insolence. Some send curious glances at the convoy, but quickly turn away when they met Tony's gaze. Well, that's unsettling. He wasn't expecting cheering and clapping, but shit, at least a bit of interest in a person bringing aid?

“I'm sorry, I have to ask.” He decides to ignore the anxiety creeping up his spine and focus on the only person showing him a modicum of interest. “Are you a dwarf?”

Little man looks at him like he's not sure how to react. He has small, black eyes deeply seated on both sides of tomato-shaped nose and his gaze is strangely penetrating. And brimming with ancient alien knowledge. Tony feels sudden urge to sit this man down and talk physics with him. He cannot imagine what secrets of time and space this little man harbored through the centuries. The only thing stopping him is surprisingly vulgar sniff and a slur.

“Aye. Are you an idiot?”

Tony pouts.

“No. I've just never seen a dwarf in my life.”

“Well, I've seen plenty of idiots.”

Well, if that's not a beginning of beautiful friendship, he doesn't know what is.

“You know, that's not very nice thing to say to someone bringing you help.” His voice sounds more whiny that he intended it to, so in attempt to regain dignity he crosses his arms and straighten his back, assuming his most imposing position. But dwarf only mirrors his gesture, looking completely unimpressed.

“Yeah? Well, go to our queen fer accolades, she'll lick yer ass clean. What 'ave you got?”

Tony rolls his eyes but bites his tongue. In a way he understands: they've been through hell and things he brought cannot really compare with everything they lost when their whole world literally blew to pieces. Also, they're assholes. And he's better than that. He points toward the first truck.

“Tents, sleeping bags, portable stoves and other camping equipment. The second one is clothes. The third one is food. Then water. And a few portable toilets on the last.”

“U-huh. Ey, Vali, Gari, you lazy slugs! Get o'er 'ere and 'elp the man unpack 'is goods.”

Two men, human-sized, get up from the nearest hearth. One brawny, with bushy black hair and beard, the other one lanky, with brown ponytail, neatly trimmed circle beard and freckles. They both wear leather aprons and tool-belts suggesting smiths, perhaps the dwarf's apprentices or something, because they follow his orders without a word. Tony gestures them to the back of the truck, where his own men have already started to unpack goods.

“Fo'give my manners,” says dwarf, wiping his hands on his pants. “It's been 'ell of a day. That's awfully nice of you to bring all those gifts.”

“No problem.”

“Although we do 'ave food and water, so you shouldn't bother.”

Well, that's surprising. This morning they have nothing. Tony feels like someone's been pulling his leg.

“Oh? How come?” he asks with a bit more hostility that he intended.

“His...” The dwarf winces like he ate something really disgusting but continues. “Her majesty grew some magic trees to give us fruits and nuts and all that shite. A few bits survived the crash. And we take water from the sea.”

“It's not drinkable, last time I checked.”

“Well, it is now. I build a machine... Eh, I took it from that ship, modified a little. But I could build it meself, thank you very much. It was just easier to take it. Anyway, we 'ave water now and it's as good as it gets. But we can use yours too, thank you very much.”

Tony isn't entirely sure that dwarf isn't mocking him with his sudden outburst of gratitude, but he decides to let it fly for now. He has more important things to do.

“You're welcome,” he says offhandedly. “So, err, where is your queen?”

Dwarf waves his hand toward the place where their ship crashed. The dark hull sticks above the crowd and Tony can already see that it looks different than before. They cleaned it up a bit and moved some parts around until it became more... tight. From a distance, it almost looks ready for a take-off.

“There, the wolf-mother sits in 'er shiny castle,” grumbles dwarf confirming Tony's thoughts. “We've wasted half a day primping it for 'er. As if we 'ad nothing better to do.”

“Thanks.” Tony flashes him his famous smile and walks forth but stops as realization strikes. Well, not exactly realization, suspicion really. But even that is enough to wipe the smile off his face. He turns back to dwarf and asks: “Did you just call your queen 'bitch'?”

Little man winces again, but he doesn't seem to feel guilty at all.

“That's awfully vulgar of you,” he scolds, then he pulls up his trousers, rasps and spits before really replying. Disgusting creature. “But yeah, basically.”

“Wow.” Tony freezes in place, not sure what to do. It's not even the dwarf's bluntness, but the fact that he doesn't even bother hiding his disdain. Speaking loudly, as if trying to make sure that everybody can hear him. But no one reacts. Tony looks around, but everyone just stares at the engines, no one as much as lifts their head. As if calling their ruler names was the most normal thing to do. So it's up to Tony to step up. “I think you should have a bit more respect for your leaders.”

Dwarf snorts.

“Leader? She couldn't lead a pig to a manger. We're better off on our own than with someone like 'er.”

“So why do you even keep her?”

“'eimdall's will. 'e lead us from Asgard when everything went to 'ell. Or, when 'ela came to us, to be exact. Them Odin's kids? They were off before the fight even started. And Thor – at least 'e can fight. She's just no good. All tricks and games, pretty face, sweet talk, but so full of shite. But if she wants to keep this farce going, that's her birthright. As long as she doesn't get too cocky.”

“And if she does?”

“Then.” Dwarf grins, exposing the row of big, crocked teeth and Tony feels cold shiver running down his spine. “When Thor comes back he may find 'er pretty 'ead hanging from one of them magic trees.”

Tony doesn't answer. He just turns away and walks towards the ship, maybe a bit faster than necessary. He must talk to Leikný. Warn her. While scanning the crowd before he barely noticed any warriors, but there were remains of Chitauri ships, probably armed, and with smiths on board there's no telling what Asgardians can make. He's not sure if Chitauri weapons or a pieces of sharpened steel can harm the queen, but whoever she is, whatever she's done... getting lynched by an angry mob doesn't seem like a fitting end.

Getting closer he realizes the amount of work Asgardians had to put into tidying up the shipwreck. Whatever machinery could be used was taken, while remains of the hull were re-assembled into something that really looks like, maybe not a castle, but a long house. The dark-skinned woman he saw before at queen's side stands next to the door, propped against a wall, looking slightly bored.

“The Thing has just assembled,” she says when she sees him and pushes herself away from the wall. “Queen said to let you in.”

“What thing?”

The woman sends him a weird look, like he just asked the dumbest question in the galaxy. To be fair, he thinks he remembers a similar talk with Thor some (long) time ago, but the details escaped him. Asgardians and their weird names!

“The Thing,” she states as if that should explain everything. “You don't have Things in Midgard?”

“We have many things, I'm just not sure which one do you mean.”

“The main one.” She rolls her eyes and reaches for the door. Only then Tony notices that the hinges are broken and she has to physically lift a sheet of metal about twice her size and put it aside, letting him in and following soon after.

The inside indeed was turned into a long hall, illuminated by two rows of artificial lights. Somehow Asgardians managed to salvage a large round table and eight chairs. They bear no trace of the crash, making Tony wonder if magic has somehow involved in their presence. Also, they are all occupied by some colorful people.

No, Tony corrects himself. They are not people. They may look human, but there's something more to them, something uncanny: hint of unfamiliarity, faint but enough to assert, with utmost certainty, that none of them is mortal. They're too perfect, faces too regular, eyes too bright. Even the colors are all wrong. And it's something he noticed earlier, while walking through the camp. None of them has zits, crossed eyes or even bald patch. All men are handsome and women – beautiful. Paired with the way they act... Yeah, Tony has no problem imagining why some ancient people regarded them as gods.

It's weird, but he never noticed this in Thor. The Thunderer was always loud, warm and... big. Not in size – well, not only in that – but in sheer presence. Like a big, fluffy, friendly dog. And unless he was literally spewing lightning from his eyes, it was impossible to say that there's something more to him. But there is nothing warm or fluffy about the way those Asgardians are looking at him now and the feeling of alienation is striking.

“Ah, mister Stark,” greets Leikný, not bothering to stand up from her chair. Is he imagining it or this one is bigger than the rest? “Welcome to our Thingstead.”

Tony stands in the entrance, not sure if he should proceed.

“Wait, you are serious with that... Thing.”

The look of perplexity appears on her face, but quickly dissolves, giving way to soft, understanding smile. Tony's heart starts beating faster.

He's seen many women in his life, including the most beautiful ones on Earth, but she is different. He can't even say why. Her physical beauty is unmatchable, there's no denying that, but her charm comes from far deeper than the hypnotic luster of her eyes or mathematical perfection of her face and body. She's an alien, but that also doesn't explain everything. They all are, yet she is the only one Tony could worship.

“I believe that word predates your language,” the goddess says with low, gentle voice, kind of which he'd never heard outside of dreams. And she's not even trying: she's kind, but in a way usually reserved for pets and children. There's absolutely nothing seductive in the way she talks, moves or looks at him. And yet, if she only spoke one word, Tony knows he would fall on his knees and pray. “For us it just means council. A thorn in royal side.” She looks around with barely detectable disdain.

“Or a mean to keep our royalty in check,” spits woman at Tony's side, looking at queen with a dare.

Leikný doesn't bother replying, but Tony feels the sudden urge to defend her. He opens his mouth, but then realizes he misses something and closes them loudly. Okay, might as well...

“Um, now I just realized that I didn't hear your name...” he nudges. The woman looks at him indifferently.

“I'm Brunnhilde.”

Hearing that Leikný straightens in her chair.

“You are?” she asks with a genuine curiosity. Brunnhilde looks at her and crosses her arms before answering.

“What, you thought my name is Valkyrie?”

“I thought your name is SR 142.”

Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie, lowers her arms and looks around before asking, no one in particular:

“Is punching your queen considered a treason?”

“Punching anyone in Thingstead in considered a treason,” answers Leikný before anyone else can speak. “It's a place of peace.”

Brunnhilde looks like she's ready to spit but stops herself in the last moment. Why every person Tony meets today is so crude? Thor can behave. Even Loki, although a psychopath, was rather smooth. Apparently, the gap between the royalty and everyone else is pretty big in Asgard. Or it's just his dirty luck.

“That's why I never liked politics,” murmurs Brunnhilde and Tony can't help but sympathize. But then the queen turns to Stark and all thoughts of Valkyrie immediately slip his mind.

“Ignore her. She's still bitter because she didn't get her own chamber.”

“We could have turned the bridge into two chambers, if your royal ass didn't demand so much room.”

“The privileges of a royalty.” Queen's voice sounds indifferent and she turns her head away from Valkyrie, exposing her perfect profile. Seriously, this nose would make any Greek sculptor weep in jealousy. But then she smiles mischievously and looks back at her opponent. “You can join me if you want. The room is plenty.”

“I would if I could trust that you'll stay in this form.”

“Ladies,” says one of the men sitting at the table. He's a grizzled guy with a lush beard and somewhat formal clothing. “This is not a place nor time for that. Please settle your disputes at different time, preferably in private.”

“Well. Doors to my chambers are open, SR 142.” The queen smiles seductively and looks at Valkyrie, but the other woman blushes slightly and turns to leave.

“Go rut a goat,” she spits over her shoulder before slamming the door shut. Leikný's smile fades so quickly that Tony starts doubting if it was ever there.

“Well, mister Stark. Would you like to meet our humble assemble? Given that you seem to be our first and major contact with the mortal world, I would consider it appropriate.”

“Well, I'm not really a politician. I didn't mean to interrupt...”

“It's not a problem. In fact, we were considering including you – or some other representative of your species, if you're so unwilling – in our meetings. As a sign of good will.”

“Uh. Ok. I think I can do it for now. Until we find a better candidate.”

He has some experience dealing with politicians after all. Not much, but they won't require a lot from him, right? This is simply a courtesy. Plus, he feels like Leikný may need some moral support. He still remembers the dwarf he met earlier and his threats. He wonders how many Asgardians share his sentiments.

“Please, have a seat.” Leikný waves her hand and another chair materializes near the table. Tony puts his hand on the backrest: it seems real. One solid piece of amber covered in intricate carvings. It reminds him of old Norse artifacts he once saw in a Viking museum he took Thor to just for the heck of it, but it's slightly different, more stylized. He decides to put his speculations as to where it came from to another time and takes a seat. When he grabs the table to pull himself closer, Leikný smiles, as if she knew about the small spying device he leaves underneath the tabletop. She doesn't say anything though, instead turning his attention to her fellow councilors. “You know Heimdall.” The queen waves her hand towards the Watcher, who is sitting at her side. The man doesn't respond, his eyes staring in space, probably creeping on some unsuspecting soul on the other side of the galaxy. “Next is Arnar, son of Ingólfr, retired general of Odin's army.” The man who spoke before to calm the ladies nods solemnly. “Then Adill of Harad, an emissary from Vanaheim.” Young man with friendly face, dressed in rich, exotic looking garment lifts his palm in greeting. He even smiles faintly, to Tony's surprise. “Forseti the Bright, the lawspeaker.” She points to another man, middle-aged, tall and thin as a beanstalk, with brown hair and a neat Van Dyke. Like Heimdall, he doesn't even seem to notice being mentioned. “Heidrun, seidkona.” Tony's not sure if the second part is meant to be a name or a title and has no idea what it means anyway. The woman wielding it is very tall, with disproportionately small face, her skin is pale with a slight golden hue, features soft and raven-blue hair arranged into the most intricate coiffure. “Ulfrun, the Shieldmaiden.” Another woman, with sandy brown skin, blue eyes and two platinum blond braids. A scar runs across the bridge of her nose. But she doesn't seem to wield any shield, as far as Tony can see. She only winces when the queen speaks her name and doesn't bother looking at him. “And Gallaug, administrator.” The last person is another dwarf. This one has copper brown skin, red hair and plaited beard. And big, definitely feminine boobs, enclosed in ornamental armor. Tony wants to ask if it's normal for dwarf women to have beards, but not so for men, but he bites his tongue. It's probably rude or something. Maybe one day he'll have the chance to meet more of them and see for himself. “In other words, everyone left with at least half a brain intact.”

Tony looks around and realizes that no one's eager to speak. Some people are still not looking at him, almost like they were just waiting for him to get out. And although he's usually not the one to care for such vibes, they manage to make him uneasy. He coughs nervously.

“Seems like, uh, a colorful assembly. How long have you been in session?”

“We just started.”

“Oh. Ok.” Focus, Tony. You can make it. Just get to the point. “So, did you manage to get yourselves sorted? Do you know how many people survived? What do you have, what do you need? Any special requests? I brought some basic stuff, not exactly the best humanitarian aid, I just went to the nearest town with an outdoor shop and bought every piece of camping equipment they got.”

“That's very generous of you.” Leikný sends him another of her kind smiles and he feels his heart melting.

“Don't mention it. So? How bad is it?”

“There's less than five hundred of us.” When the queen speaks, for a short while her face twists in sorrow. “In that, two hundred children, some twenty-five with no surviving families. Mostly Aesir, few Vanir and two dwarfs. Plus, a dozen aliens, former slaves liberated from Sakaar.” She looks at Heimdall. “There are probably a few more Asgardians scattered around the Realms. I can bring them here. Through my paths or with the Tesseract.”

Tony shifts uncomfortably at the mention of the artifact. He shouldn't be surprised really: if what Thor told them is true, it's one of the most powerful objects in the universe. If there's one thing worth saving when your world crumbles, that would be it.

“We have nowhere to bring them to,” notices Ulfrun. She has a strong, unpleasant voice and it's not hard to see that she has no love for the queen. Seems like a running theme here.

“Not now,” agrees Leikný. “And not here. When and where we're settled. But that's not enough, is it?” She looks back at Heimdall with pain in her eyes.

“Thousands of years will pass before the last As will meet his end.” The Watcher doesn't answer straight away, but his message is clear.

“But it's inevitable? There's not enough of us to survive...”

Finally, he looks at her, but his gaze is impenetrable.

“It was inevitable a long time ago,” he says finally. “Since the old Asgard, the planet you've never seen, was destroyed. Since then... Yes, we are doomed. But that is many generations from now.”

“So there's no point talking about it,” cuts Ulfrun. “We should focus on surviving. Here and now.”

“It doesn't have to be here,” says Leikný, finally turning her gaze away from the Watcher. “I have the Tesseract, I can take us anywhere...”

“Like where?”

“I don't know...”

“We don't have a vessel.”

“We don't need it, I can take us straight to another planet.”

“Or straight to the heart of the sun, for all we know.”

Leikný freezes, for a moment just stares blankly at Shieldmaiden, then asks slowly:

“You think I would doom our entire race?”

“We're not your race,” Ulfrun spits, crossing her arms. Her eyes are as cold as shards of ice. “And we do not trust you.”

“Some people still blame you for losing Thor,” says Arnar. The tone of his voice leaves no doubt that he counts himself among them.

“I didn't lose him on purpose...”

“But I think it will be better to let our people rest before exposing them to your tricks again,” insists general.

“Plus, Thor will expect to meet us here,” says Adill. So far, he seems like the only person in this room interested in keeping peace, neither openly hostile to the queen nor conspicuously indifferent like Heimdall. Tony can't help but like him. He could approve him as an honorable human. Or maybe not, since on closed inspection he notices two small, golden horns, barely visible above man's locks. Nope, still alien. But at least friendly one.

“Yes, we should at least wait for him before deciding to move,” agrees Forseti. He has a quiet yet powerful voice of someone used to speaking and being heard. Does 'Lawspeaker' mean someone like a judge? Yeah, he sounds like the type.

“Fair enough.” Leikný raises her hands in surrender. “Only if our hosts have nothing against it.” She waves towards Tony and everyone's eyes turn to him. For a moment he feels like a deer caught in headlights. And that's barely a hyperbole, their eyes seem to be shining in pale gleam of lamps. Freaking aliens.

“Um, sure, you can stay however long you want,” Tony mutters, not sure if he's gonna regret it in the future. Of course, he already reported to general Ross and got a temporary permission for Asgardians to stay, but he's still not sure how it's gonna work out in the long run. And how the government of Norway, a country they presently occupy, is going to like it.

“Well then,” starts Forseti. “We should think about providing a decent living for our people.”

“Do you have something particular in mind?”

“A shelter, for start.”

Leikný winces.

“There's no point building homes if we're about to leave them soon,” she states, still clinging to the idea of leaving. Tony starts wondering what's her problem with the Earth. Thor likes it. Loki wanted it. So why is she so eager to get out of here?

“I thought we decided we're not going anywhere?” Forseti arches his eyebrow and this is the first and only sign of emotion. Otherwise his face remains blank. Definitely a judge, decides Tony.

“For now. Until Thor returns. But after that, who knows what's going to happen...”

“I brought some tents, so you're not exactly out in the open,” slips Tony.

“That's thoughtful,” thanks Leikný.

“But hardly a long-term solution,” opposes Forseti.

“You all seem to forget one thing.” Finally, Gullaug decides to speak. She has a rough, gurgling voice and she seems to shrink when everyone's eyes turn to her. Apparently, she's not used to be in the center of attention. Tony wonders what her skills are. Hopefully something to balance Warriors Two and Mr Too-Good-To-Be-Here.

“What is that?” asks Leikný, rolling her eyes. It seems like the whole discussion starts to annoy her. She's probably not used to consulting her decisions and the fact that Asgardians – or Aesir? Tony's a bit lost on terminology with this one – won't let her take them any further must really get on her nerves. Tony's half expecting her to just get up and leave the assembly. He would.

“That Asgard wasn't just a world. It was a construction.”

For a while no one speaks, everyone just stares at the dwarf, considering her words. It is the queen who breaks the silence, asking cautiously:

“Do you suggest we try to rebuild it?”

“Why not?”

“Why, where do I start?!” She scoffs. “Old Asgard was made from the ashes of destroyed planet, build by the people defeated by Odin and adorned with the spoils of war. We have neither of those. And conquest is out of question for now.”

Suddenly Tony feels uneasy. He looks around, noticing Arnar staring at him, as if trying to weigh him up. He knows exactly what the general is thinking. He can't be serious though. He wouldn't dare...

“There is one world...”

“We're not conquering Midgard,” cuts Leikný before general can start for good. At least one person here with some decency...

“Didn't go so well last time?” murmurs Ulfrun and Leikný's cheeks turn red. What the hell does that mean? Is she talking about Loki's failed invasion? Or rather some older, but apparently also failed attempt by Leikný? Tony decides that it's about time he familiarizes himself with the Norse mythology. He put it on his back burner since the invasion, but somehow never got around to do it. There was always so much to do and so little time. But now, with a whole nation of ancient demi-gods on his planet, it's seems like he can't put this off anymore.

“The mortals aren't the same as they were thousand years ago,” explains the queen with the tone most people use when talking to exceptionally stubborn children. She clenches her fists and keeps her eyes fixed at the table, as if afraid to meet Tony's eyes. “And we don't even have an army.”

“We could make one,” insists Ulfrun. She looks at the queen with a dare but receives no response. “Like in old days: every man and woman capable of carrying weapon.”

“Without proper training ground and formidable enemies we would need a century to make them into real warriors,” states Arnar, looking at Tony thoughtfully, trying to determine what type of enemy he'd make. Tony's dying to show him. With a tank missile to the face, preferably.

“You know, you may try, but I feel like I wouldn't even need to call my Iron Legion to stop you.” Tony crosses his arms and responds to general's look with one as fierce as his. “But, I have to say, it's awfully rude to plan the conquest of people that welcome you and do everything to help.”

“Pay them no heed,” advised Leikný, finally lifting her head. “We're not conquering Midgard.”

“These people are Thor's friends,” agrees Heimdall, finally deciding to wake up from his slumber and take a stance. “He would never approve of such action. But it doesn't mean we can't try to rebuild Asgard.”

“How do you imagine we do that?” asks the queen impatiently.

“With the Tesseract. We have the source of power greater than anything Odin had when he built the old Asgard. With its help we can harness the matter from all around the universe and energy that cannot be conjured by any engine. We don't need ashes of Old Asgard nor slave labor.”

“And who's gonna do it?” asks Ulfrun. Everybody's eyes turns to Leikný and it's her turn to freeze with a look of utter shock and fright on her face.

“I... I can't do it,” she stammers finally. Arnar snorts, but before he or Ulfrun – that pair is something, Tony has to admit – can say something, Heimdall speaks.

“You have the Tesseract.”

“If you can't do it, no one can,” confirms Heidrun.

“I don't know how.”

“Oh, please,” snaps Ulfrun, crossing her arms. “You don't really expect her to do it? We all know who she is, what she can do. And what good can come from it.”

“Even if she created Asgard, I would be wary of treading it.” Arnar nods in agreement. Tony wants to punch him in the face.

“She's the master of magic,” opposes Heidrun.

“Master of tricks and treachery. She can't create anything of value.”

“She overpowered Odin,” notices Forseti, Tony's not sure if to praise Leikný or to condemn her.

“Yes, how could we forget, taking the life of our king?” asks general sarcastically. Queen's cheeks turn red and she clenches her fists.

“I didn't kill Odin,” she says, but her voice barely raises above whisper. She's sickly pale now, with eyes glistening, Tony's not sure if from tears of fever. She repeatedly clenches and loosens her fists and he can sometimes see the red marks where her fingernails dug into the skin.

“He died because of your spell.”

“He died of old age and broke my spell long before that.”

“That's just your word and we all know how much it's worth,” says Ulfrun.

Leikný doesn't answer, just stands up sharply, sending her chair flying back and runs off. The door to the Thingstead fling before her and the queen disappears in the waves of green coat. Tony stands up to follow her.

“Leave her be, mortal,” he hears behind his back. “She's not worth it.”

He doesn't listen. It's already dark outside and Brunnhilde is nowhere to be seen, but he catches the movement on the left and turns just in time to glimpse a green coat-tail disappearing behind a corner. He follows. The ship hit the ground at a weird angle, leaving a small, triangular patch of grass between the wreck and the cliff. There she stands, right at the edge, staring at the ocean.

“I didn't kill Odin,” he hears upon approaching. “And I didn't leave Thor behind.”

“I know.”

“Do you believe me?”

“Yes.”

“You shouldn't.”

He looks at her. She keeps her arms wrapped around herself and eyes fixed on the ocean. Her lips are trembling, but her voice is steady. Up close, he can see that her cheeks are wet. He turns his gaze and puts his hands in his pockets.

“So, are you gonna build a new Asgard?” he asks lightheartedly.

She scoffs.

“I can't do it.”

“Of course you can.”

“No. I'm not... I'm not like that.”

“Like what?”

She hesitates for a moment before replying reluctantly.

“I'm not really Odin's child. I don't have his power...”

“You think Odin was the only powerful being in the universe?”

“No, of course not...”

“So why wouldn't you have the potential to become one?”

“I... I'm not... worthy.”

Oh. Of course. Asgardians and their “worthiness”. It was cringe worthy enough to listen Thor's boasting, but if their whole culture is built upon it, then their stay here is boding to be a fun ride.

“And why not? They called you a master of magic.”

“That wasn't really a praise.” Leikný smiles bitterly and shakes her head. “Magic isn't really considered... proper... for someone like me.”

“Oh, fuck that.” Tony turns to his side, sharply enough to startle her. At least he finally gets her to look at him. “You're a master. The best that is. At magic! Why the fuck shouldn't you use it, especially when the goal is something like that? They may not like it now, but they will have to appreciate it when you're done building roofs over their stupid heads.”

The answer comes quickly, like she is prepared to rebut every argument he can make. He briefly wonders how much of that bullshit she had to hear in her life to start believing it.

“Even so, my training didn't really prepare me for creating a new world.”

“So what? Look, you can't let others tell you how much you're worth. Especially if they're old and dead.” Okay, that was a bit of a wild guess on his part, but the surprise on her face tells him that he got it right after all. It was never really about those assholes. He wants to snicker, but stops himself. Seems like some things really are universal. He kinda figured that out with Loki – the man emanated that special aura of arrogance that could only be used to hide some deep wounds. And when Thor related their story, still insisting on calling Odin the best father... Well, it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on. “Besides, you can do anything if you set your mind to it. And work hard. But above all, believe in yourself. That's the whole secret.” Tony just realizes that he's schooling a thousand-years old being. But the queen doesn't seem offended, if anything she looks puzzled and a gleam of hope starts shining at the bottom of her eyes. She doesn't seem eager to speak yet, so Tony keeps babbling, just to fill the void. “Look, you don't have to do it at once. Start small. Or get someone to help you. Or both. You said you need materials? Well, you have the Tesseract and if I understand how it works, it should allow you to pull the matter from all around the universe. Or even our solar system. I guess many people would be pissed if you try to take our planets and grind them for concrete, but there are plenty of asteroids you could help yourself to. And as I said, you don't have to do it alone. You can ask for help. Even with designing that bloody thing. I mean, that must be huge, I don't think you could just snap your fingers and bring it into existence. You need houses for all the people, a castle, knowing your family, engines if you want to keep it running, then the whole life support system, electricity, sewage, I don't know what else. As I said, shit-load of work. So you should get someone competent to design it. I don't know who could that be...”

In truth, Tony would love to be the one. He has absolutely no idea about building cities, let alone flying ones. Never really built a spaceship. Why didn't he built a spaceship? It seems like an oversight. He should get on with it. Maybe if he could get his hands on alien tech, like the one this dwarf was meddling with...

“Thank you, Stark.” Her voice finally breaks his line of thought. It feels like the speeding train of his mind hits a concrete wall and it takes him a while to regain his power of speech.

“Call me Tony.”

“Tony,” she says after a short hesitation. “I'm not sure if I can do any of it...”

“But at least you'll think about it?”

“Yes. I will.” She smiles, this time genuinely. 

“You can do it, Leikný” he repeats. “Don't let them tell you otherwise.”

“Thank you, again.”

For a while they stand in silence, watching the ocean raging below. The waves are the only source of sound, there are no birds and the ship shields them from noises from the camp. There's also no light other than stars and the moon. For Tony, who spend most of his life in man-made environment, the conditions seem almost eerie. And that even without accounting for the crashed starship behind his back and literal and figurative goddess standing at his side. He pinches himself, just to make sure it's not a dream.

“I was never taught to build anything,” Leikný speaks after a while. “Only to kill, destroy... or command others to do it for me.”

“What about your magic?”

“It's a child's play.”

“No, it's not. You defeated Odin with it.”

“I didn't defeat him in honest fight.”

“Screw honest fights. You defeated him. You were more powerful than him.”

“And you think it's a good thing?”

“Um, I don't know? I mean, two of his three children hated him, which makes me think that something was rotten in the state of Asgard, if you know what I mean. I kinda understand why others are mad at you and don't trust you, but then again, your world is gone, so if there can be a time to put your differences behind and work for a common good, it is now. Don't you agree?”

Leikný doesn't answer straight away, just looks at the ocean, lost in thoughts.

“Odin was a great king.”

He rolls his eyes.

“So I've heard,” he murmurs, then for reasons he doesn't truly understand decides to put all of his usual reservations away. Somehow it's easier with her than with others. “But you know what? My father was also a great guy. A genius, inventor, philanthropist. A true patriot. None of it changes the fact that he was an absolutely shitty father. And I'm sick to my stomach whenever I hear people telling me how great he was. Long after he died I received a message from him telling me how much he loved me, but in the end it didn't matter. He's dead and I'm an adult and I can't... I can't let a dead man run my life, you know? I needed to move on. Put him to rest. Make my own choices. Find my own worth. And so do you.”

She laughs bitterly.

“What if I have no worth?” He wants to protest, but she doesn't let him. “I had two families that disowned me. Even Thor only sees my values in the ways he can use me. And he is right, I fail at everything I do. The closest to success I've ever been was when I bit my tongue and did as I was told. Otherwise... everything I ever did, turned against me. How much more can I try? How much more can I suffer before crumbling?”

“As much as it takes. Until you win.”

She sighs and drops her hands.

“I don't know if that's ever possible. Now, that Thor bested me in my own game... What hope can I hold?”

“Change your game.”

She chuckles, but there's no joy in it.

“What if that's the game Thor bested me at?”

For that he doesn't find the answer and after a moment of uncomfortable silence she gives out another sigh and starts babbling. Tony gets the impression that she doesn't even expect him to say anything, she just needs to get it out of her system.

“I don't even know how to rule. Back in old Asgard we had a real Thing. Representatives from all realms, administrators, lawmakers, generals. If something needed to be done, we just order people to tell other people to do it. Now? Gullaug is the only person who really knows how to organize anything. She's not even a proper official, she was running business back in Asgard. And yet she's more qualified to do anything than rest of us combined.” She snorts a short, joyless laugh. “If there's any consolation, Thor knows even less than me.”

“That only means that you have to do your best to keep things going.”

“I'm not sure...”

“You can do it,” he repeats, not knowing how many times he already said it. It doesn't bother him though: for her, he could do it all night long. “You all can do it if you stick together.”

Leikný looks at him and smiles again. Tony thinks that's the most beautiful thing in this galaxy. And yet there's still melancholy in her eyes. He almost hates the thing he has to say next.

“But, you know, you shouldn't let them treat you like that. I met one dwarf when I came in today...”

“Splitlip?”

“I don't know. How many of them do you have?”

“Just Gullaug and Splitlip.” She sighs, with mix of weariness and exasperation. “What did he do?”

“Well, let's just say... He didn't speak highly of you.”

“No surprise there...”

Tony hesitates for a moment, but finally decides to say everything. She has the right to know. For her own safety.

“He said he will hang your head from the tree if you start acting up.”

Leikný barks the laugh that's even more devoid of joy than the previous one. He looks at her, furrowing his brows, but before he can speak, she waves her hand placatingly.

“Don't worry about him. Dwarfs talk a lot, but when it comes to acting... Well, let's say they need a strong lead. That's why they liked Odin so much, he could keep them on a short leash.”

“Do you have locks in that chamber?”

“Why do you think I insisted on getting it?”

“Right...”

Silence falls again, this time heavier than before. Tony actually starts to think about getting Leikný out of here, renting her room in a nearby village, where she would be protected... But then again, could humans really protect her from a mob of angry Asgardians? And would she agree to leave? He doesn't even know how to propose it. Maybe he could take her with him, leave those assholes to themselves until Thor returns. She wouldn't build them a new Asgard, but at least she would be safe.

“Why are you doing it?” she asks unexpectedly.

“Doing what?”

“Helping me.”

“I don't know. I don't like the way they treat you?”

“They have the right to hate me.”

“Uh... maybe? I don't know enough about you or them to judge. You never did anything wrong to me.” She snorts but doesn't say anything. Tony looks at her, but nothing changed in her face or eyes, making him doubt he heard anything. So he continues. “And, as I said, if there was ever a time to reconcile, it's now.”

“You would hate me too if you knew me.”

“Never,” he promises and he knows he's telling the truth. It doesn't matter what she did or to whom. The past is the past. It's time to look to the future. For Asgard. And for Leikný.

The queen doesn't say anything, but the corners of her lips curl up to form a bitter smile. She doesn't believe me, he realizes. He desperately tries to come up with anything that could convince her, but his mind is blank. He's not really a good speaker, despite everything. So, being who he is, he does the next best thing and puts his arm around her waist.

She gasps and disappears. Just vanishes into a thin air. Tony curses quietly.

* * *

The next morning Asgardians are awakened by a series of loud thuds. One by one people leave their tents, not sure what to expect: attack of aliens or return of their beloved king. Instead they see lady Loki, standing on the edge of the camp with Tesseract in her hands and blue light in her eyes. A row of boulders, some as big as houses, is standing where yesterday was only a flat field. With a flash of blue light another rock appears and falls, shaking the ground. Loki turns to her people and smiles, blue light burning in her eyes.

“Gullaug, Splitlip,” she cries. “Come forth! We are going to Nidavellir. Call your families, call your friends and everyone else who wants their names praised for the rest of eternity! We're building a new Asgard!”

* * *

When Tony comes back the next evening, the camp looks like a different place. He has to blink a few times then ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. for today's date to make sure he didn't overslept few weeks. Firstly, the area is filled with colorful tents, but that was to be expected. Most importantly, it is now surrounded by big, erratic boulders swarmed and worked on by dozens of dwarfs. Unable to resists, Tony comes up to get a better look. At first he's a bit disappointed when he sees no pickaxes or hammers and no one is singing “Heigh-ho”, but his letdown quickly turns to excitement when he notices a bunch of alien hi-tech tools. The most common one is large box, carried on a leather strap like a messenger bag, attached to something that looks like an old-timey blunderbuss. When dwarf activates the machine, the stream of blue light emanates towards the boulder, crumbing it to dust and sucking in at the same time. Soon after a liquid but seemingly cold metal pours from a small pipe on the other end, usually straight into the barrel held by another dwarf.

In any other circumstances, Tony would do anything to get his hands on one of those. But now he has a more important task.

Leikný is also impossible to miss. She's sitting on the roof of the shipwreck – or the Thingstead – wrapped in her dark green cape. She pretends not to notice him, so he finds the most forgiving side on a wreck and climbs up to sit at her side. A slightly leveled piece of golden armor, serving as a plate, lays at queen's side, filled with alien looking fruits. Apparently, much like Thor, Leikný is eating using only her hands. Her fingers are red with juice and Tony shivers, because for a moment it looks like blood.

“Mister Stark,” she greets without looking at him. Everything in her pose and body language tells him to get out and it seems like only good manners prevent her from saying it straight. So he decides to take advantage of that.

“Tony,” he corrects. “Please. You owe me this.”

“Owe you?” She arches her eyebrow, but still doesn't look at him, instead reaching for another fruit. She chooses one shaped like a heart, with a deep red color. She doesn't eat it though, just starts rolling it in her fingers. Tony wonders if she's going to throw it at him. “For what?”

“For a great advice.” Finally earning her look, he motions his hand towards the working dwarfs. “I see you started construction.”

She hesitates for a moment, but finally nods.

“Fair enough. Tony. What can I do for you?”

“I, uh.” Here comes the hard part. “I came to apologize. For my... behavior yesterday. I didn't mean to... disrespect you or anything. I know you're miles out of my league, with you being a queen and me being an asshole. So, you know. I'm sorry.”

“Ah, it's all right.” She waves her hand dismissively. But he notices a small blush creeping on her cheeks and a mix of embarrassment and guilt in her eyes. “I hold no offense. Let's not talk about it...”

“Good. So, would you like to eat dinner with me?”

She sits motionlessly for a while, fruit forgone in her hand, before she finally turns towards Tony. She tries really hard to keep her face blank, but he can see emotions seeping through the cracks, not enough for him to recognize them, but enough to make him aware.

“Tony... I don't think we should see each other.”

“I didn't mean it... like that.” He lifts his hand in a placating gesture. “I'm not hitting on you, I swear. I just want to know you better. Like a friend. What do you think?”

“I don't have friends,” she replies quickly and strangely stiffly.

“Well, wouldn't you like to make some? I'm already a friend with your brother.”

“I'm not sure if that's a good thing,” she quips and a faint yet mischievous smile appears on her lips. Tony responds with a pout and a hurtful look, but it only makes her laugh.

It's kind of interesting that Thor didn't have a good relationships with any of his siblings. Hell, he never ever mentioned having a sister. All he talked about was Loki and from what he said, they had pretty happy childhood. But happy people rarely try to murder their families, so there must have been something Thor wasn't saying. It hardly mattered now, with Loki dead and all, but perhaps there was still a chance for Thor to fix his relationship with Leikný.

With a bit of help.

“Fine.” He crosses his arms and tries to take on his usual confidence. “But I can't believe you would turn down a good meal. I lived with Thor, I know you guys have an appetite. I bet you're yearning for something more substantial than this,” Tony lifts one of the fruits and waves it in the air. He underestimates its durability though, because it squishes, spilling red juice all over his hand. Now he's bloodied too. But at least Leikný seems amused, so he's not really bothered.

“They are called kaffa fruits and are very substantial. Have a bite.”

“They're not poisonous or anything? For a mortal, I mean.”

“Probably not. If something happens, I'll save you.”

“Uh, thanks.”

Her smile widens.

“Why, you don't trust me?” she taunts.

When she puts it like this, he can't really say no. He takes a bite. Once he gets through the leathery skin, the flesh almost melts in his mouth, at the same time filling it with rich, salty juice. It tastes like nothing he ate before, and if he had to think of an analogy, he would have to say... blood. He spreads the fruit on his tongue and catches a hint of berries or maybe a chocolate. He's not sure if he likes it, so he takes another bite, before ultimately deciding that it's too weird.

“Where did you take them from?” he asks, putting sad, crushed remains of the fruit back on plate. Leikný doesn't seem to mind or is just too polite to scold him. She gestures towards the little grove at the far end of the camp. Were they those magical trees Splitlip mentioned yesterday?

“A few enchanted seeds, a touch of magic,” she hums. It almost sounds like a spell. “I'm pretty sure we could feed ourselves now.”

Tony's not really a nature person and he doesn't believe in magic, but trees that can grow in a day and feed few hundred people? That seems worth inquiring.

“How long can they bear those fruits?” he asks.

“Infinitely.” Leikný shrugs. “That's the magic.”

“Cool.” It's beyond cool. If he could put his hands on them... Or better yet, figure out how do they work and somehow replicate the 'magic' with their earthly plants, he could probably solve world hunger. “Do you have more of those? Are they from Asgard?”

“Alfheim. So are bhoati nuts and meteor fruits. Other trees are from Asgard, Vanaheim, I think one or two are from Midgard. And one from outside the Nine Realms. They were enchanted though, they are very different from their counterparts in other worlds. And no, I don't have any more. But me and Nanna, our gardener, managed to get more seeds, mostly spices and medicinal herbs, some flowers. With a bit of magic we may be able to resurrect a few more Asgardian species. ”

“Nice.”

And a bit disappointing. But he can't give up hope. He wants to learn more, but he sees Leikný smiling sadly and decides to put it to another day.

“That's all we've got,” she says.

They go silent for a moment, Leikný probably reminiscing of her old home and Tony... Tony never saw Asgard, but its destruction seems too abstract to comprehend. The whole world gone. A race reduced to mere five hundred people. All the other inhabitants, people, animals, plants, birds, fungi and microbes, gone forever. On an intellectual level he can comprehend it... but he can't understand it, not really. It feels more like a story than reality.

“I think you are very brave,” he says unexpectedly, earning a puzzled look from the queen. “To survive, what you have survived and yet... find a strength to keep going. And rebuild.”

“We don't really have much of a choice, do we?”

“No, I guess not. Still, many would just... give up. Surrender to living in a shitty camp or disperse among the other Realms.”

“Asgardians are too proud to live among others. But few people already asked me to send them to Vanaheim.”

“They'll be back when they see what you are making here.”

“Of course they will,” she agrees with a smile. “It's not all bad. More than twenty men in reproductive age came back from apprenticeship in Nidavellir. They said they want to help with the construction.”

Tony arches an eyebrow and smirks.

“In reproductive age, you say? Why do I feel like you didn't bring them just for construction...”

She scoffs then starts to explain, somehow keeping her face completely straight.

“There's nothing to laugh about. Most Asgardian males start losing their sexual powers by the age of three thousand. By four thousand, almost all are infertile. Guess, what age is most of the males that survived?”

“Um, kids?”

She smirks.

“True, but we're going to need many more if we're to survive.”

“Glad to see that you're not facing extinction anymore...”

“Well, we're not going down without a fight.” Her tone turns wry. “Or at least a long streak of genetic disorders brought upon by extreme inbreeding.”

“I thought you would be advanced enough to know how to deal with genetic disorders.”

Honestly, Tony has no idea how advanced are Asgardians. But they know space travel and weather control, so dealing with genetic disorders shouldn't really be a stretch, right? Leikný pauses to think before replying.

“I think we're better now than we were when first Asgard was brought down. But whether we're good enough to survive in a long term, remains to be seen.”

“Well, I did some reading yesterday. Some animal species on Earth were brought back from just twenty individuals, so I think you'll be all right with your five hundred.”

“We're not animals. And I don't think that degenerating into a race of oafish mutants is a future most of us could accept.”

“Well, you should really push that genetic research then...”

She laughs faintly.

“There are more Aesir scattered across the Realms,” she says. “Diplomats, merchants, traveling nobles. I think we can get them to come back too. Although most of the officials are probably too old to be of any use. Unless they travel with children...”

“Snatch the kids and leave the old farts behind?”

She chuckles, but before she can say anything else, a loud bang shakes the Thingstead, almost throwing them down.

“What was that?” Tony asks jumping to his feet. Probably not the smartest move, he realizes too late. Leikný waves her hand dismissively.

“That's just the dwarfs. Don't mind them.” He sends her a questioning look. “I did as you suggested. I went to Nidavellir, a world of dwarfs and asked for the best architects and engineers to help me design a new Asgard.”

“And?”

He can't deny, that's a bit disappointing. It's true, he has no idea about building cities, let alone flying ones. It's better that she got professionals. Still. She could have asked.

“Well, they're down there, trying to come up with one coherent project. In retrospect, I think I should have only asked for one.”

The banging repeats, followed by a series of loud thuds and clangs. It sounds like a fistfight, but one where everyone is wearing armor.

“Don't worry, I forced them to leave their weapons outside,” she says impassively and gestures him to look down, to a heaping pile of axes, hammers, swords, pikes and other weapons he can't name, lying next to the Thingstead's door. No guns or futuristic weapons though. Tony wonders if some of the dwarfs could somehow smuggle them inside and even opens his mouth to ask, but the look of complete indifference, even a certain blasé on Leikný's face throws him off. He closes his mouth with an audible clasp, then stands for a while, thinking, before sitting back down and finally asking.

“Do you have any idea how are they doing?”

“Well, not really. I'm not much of an engineer, so I left it to them. We got lucky though.”

“Yeah?”

“One of the volunteers was Ivaldi, son of Gangr, who was himself a son of Ivaldi.”

“I lost track after first 'Ivaldi'.”

“Well, the old Ivaldi was one of the dwarfs that build the original Asgard. The construct, not the planet. And, as it happens, Ivaldi, the younger, has managed to find the original plans of his grandfather's work.”

“Cool. So you can just replicate it?”

“Well, I was thinking about simplifying things. And updating a bit.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“For example, old Asgard had a waterfall around its edges. We needed an extremely powerful magnetic field to catch the water, condense it and transfer back. The whole system was using almost forty percent of total energy and was breaking down constantly. It was the most impractical thing I've ever seen. So we're not doing waterfall now. Also, the castle was excessive. I spend my whole life there and I haven't seen ninety percent of it. So we're going to reduce that. And the territory. I mean, most of the native species are gone, we're not going to need a nature reserve. There will be forest outside of the city and lake in the middle for recreational purposes and growing food. But it will be much smaller. Also, we need to update the security system. The old one was a joke. No wonder Dark Elves could walk into Asgard and do as they pleased.” She finally notices that for the last few minutes she was the one talking, while Tony was only looking at her, smiling. “What?”

“Nothing. I just wouldn't expect to hear a member of Thor family complaining about the splendor.”

“Well, the perspective of building it myself changed my point of view.”

“I thought you're gonna have help?”

“Yes, dwarfs will help, but it's still a lot of work. And even then, the construction is just a beginning. We will have to hire Vanir to build houses and furnishing, and then Alfar to design a forest.”

“What do you mean: design a forest? Can't you just plant some trees and call it a day?”

“It's not that simple. We need an extremely efficient environment that could feed our entire population. In old Asgard we imported all our food from Vanaheim, but I'm not sure if Vanir are willing to continue such deal... without Odin's oversight. So I'd rather make Asgard self sufficient.”

Something in the way she spoke about their dealings with Vanaheim makes Tony uneasy. He doesn't know much about it but he doesn't really want to find out. He wants to be able to look Thor in the eye, after all. And if Leikný wants to put that behind them, that's probably for the best.

“So it's more of an orchard,” he says, steering back to Asgard's future ecosystem. “Why don't you just plant some wheat or corn or whatever? It's probably more efficient. At least that's what comes to my mind when I think of feeding the entire race.”

“That wouldn't work on Asgard. We are not farmers. We need something that will bring maximum yield with minimum work and will last through the ages without eroding. And I saw something like that in Alfheim. Elves have mastered their environment, they turned their planet into one big garden that feeds them all and leaves plenty to everyone in need. I will have to speak with their seithis. Knowing them, they probably even kept some of the Asgardian species. But otherwise, I suspect we're going to need a whole new set of plants and animals.”

“You can take a few from Earth. We would be honored.”

She flashes him a gracious smile that makes his heart melt.

“Thank you. That's very kind of you.”

They go silent again, each lost in their own thoughts. Tony has to admit, they chose a nice place for landing. A large, green field, stretching from the cliff to a big, dark forest. It is actually a few miles away from the nearest human settlement: a small, picturesque village sitting in the mouth of a valley. It's a bit too cold for Tony, though. Not even because of his personal preferences, but because he knows that winter is coming and getting here through all the snow will be a pain.

“You ever thought about, uh, moving your people? Somewhere closer to civilization?”

She looks at him gingerly.

“Why so? You said your rulers allowed us to stay here.”

“I know. It's just, you know. You still need supplies and it will be harder to get them here during winter.”

She contemplates his words for few seconds before replying.

“I see. I understand your concern, but I think it's important that we stay here for the time being.”

“Why so?” he asks, not realizing that he's parroting her words from before. Luckily, she either doesn't notice or doesn't care.

“Because this is the place where Odin died.”

Oh. That doesn't really explains...

“I didn't recognize it at first,” she speaks before he can ask. “But it's here. And I think... than Asgard was doomed the moment he died. Earlier, probably, but still. This is the place where it ended. It's only fitting that it's here... It shall be reborn. From ashes of our father, if not our world.”

Tony's not sure he understands. But he knows enough not to question. If it's so important for her, then who is he to deny it? And in the end, they will manage, he's sure of that, so perhaps it's best to leave it as is.

He sighs and looks at the camp, brimming with activity, so different than the day before. Yes, they will manage. They came too far to give up now.

“So, what about that dinner?”

Leikný shivers, as if awoken from a slumber and asks quickly.

“When?”

“Um, tonight?”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, why not? You have better plans?”

She scoffs, but halfway through changes her mind and laughs.

“No, not really,” she says with mirth.

“Cool. So we're set.”

“See you in the evening, then.”

“Uh...”

“What is it?”

“Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor...”

She arches her eyebrow.

“Ask,” she demands. Her tone is royal but mirthful and Tony can't help but feel honored. That's strange, no one ever made him feel that way. Even actual kings, like Thor or T'Challa. She is truly special.

“Could you let me have a look at this alien... dwarfish machinery? It looks super cool and futuristic and I would die to know how it works. Literally. I'll do what you want. Just let me have it.”

She doesn't answer straight away, just looks at him with a cocked head and a curious gaze, as if weighting his request, but then her lips curve into the most delicious smile and she speaks.

“I have a better idea.”

She turns away from the camp and towards the sea and waves her hands in a peculiar gesture. In a flash of green light a small, black, red and gold ship appears from a thin air. It has a triangle hull and a wing that was probably round before it smashed into something and collapsed like bellows.

“I had to crash it into the castle during Ragnarök,” says Leikný, confirming Tony's suspicion. “But I thought it may yet get useful. It's still working. A bit. And from what I gathered, it's capable of long-distance space travel. Not sure how it works though. I think you may find it interesting.”

Tony squeals in joy and scrambles onto the ground.

“I can have it? Really? Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Without waiting for an answer he walks into the ship, taking out his phone and frantically texting F.R.I.D.A.Y. to send him necessary tools. He barely notices Leikný's hearty laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After reading The Enemy of My Enemy by Kadorienne and King of Asgard by ClaraCivry I'm in a desperate need of fanfics where Loki is a king and Thor isn't the best thing since sliced boar, so if you have any recommendations, I will gladly accept :)


	3. Definitely Not A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Loki embraces her nature as manipulative little shit.

“Are you even serious?”

“Hush, now.” Loki turns away from her own reflection in a magical mirror to send Brunhilde a quick glance. The queen is wearing a black catsuit and an iridescent green dress made of a skin of a sea serpent. The material is so light, it clings to her body like water, leaving absolutely no room for imagination. The dress has a high collar, no sleeves and a cut reaching all the way to her waist. Ornamental belt made of gold and emeralds completes the outfit. “The more he looks at my tits, the less he looks into my eyes.”

Brunnhilde steps into the queen's chambers and closes the door behind her.

“Why does it matter? He thinks your eyes are blue.” She cocks her head and frowns, wondering. “Why does he even think that?”

“Because they were. For a while,” the queen replies shortly and reluctantly. Her tone leaves no room for doubt: any further pressing will be prosecuted. And she can sound pretty imperious when she wants. She spent thousand years perfecting that tone: practical thing, when your only weapon is your tongue.

And it's necessary, because every mention of her previous action on Earth brings back the onslaught of memories she'd gladly bury. For now she keeps her hands steady and her face impenetrable, but she's not sure if she could keep it if Valkyrie pressed. Fortunately, the woman gets the clue.

“Fair enough.” Valkyrie crosses her arms. “But if you're so concerned with being recognized, why do you even go out with him?”

To be honest, Loki isn't sure. It's not wise, there's no doubt about that. And yet... With Tony, she feels different. Appreciated, perhaps for the first time in her life. And safer, paradoxically. Oh, she knows he's only nice in hope for a tryst. Still, when others wanted something, they usually beat Loki up until she gave in. The way Tony conducts business is... a nice change, all things considered.

Plus, she really thought that after that meeting with the Thing and... her little meltdown afterwards, he wouldn't want anything to do with her. Thinking about it now she feels frightened at how vulnerable she's let herself be at that moment, her guards shattered, all masks dissolved. She thought he would find her pathetic. Weak. That he would turn away in disgust or at best, brush her worries off, like everyone else did. But he didn't. No, he consoled her, reassured her – and that's something not many ever did for her. So yes, she wanted more of that. Even if it was just for one night... She wanted to feel worthy.

“It's just a bit of fun. No harm in that,” she says awkwardly, brushing her embarrassment aside, then adds quickly, not sure if to convince Brunnhilde or herself: “And he's not big on commitments, as soon he gets what he wants, he'll be gone and we'll never see him again.”

Valkyrie eyes her dubiously.

“A bit of fun? That's why you put that spell on yourself?”

Loki scoffs and turns back to mirror to start applying make-up. Black lipstick and equally black lines around her eyes. It's all illusion though: as a man she never wore anything like that and so she never kept any tools or materials with her. It does its job, though. And allows her more control over the process: after five thousand years of neglect, she's not sure if she could make herself up perfectly.

“That spell is not just for him.” It's not entirely a lie: the spell works on all beings, mortals and Asgardians alike, but it's effects are stronger on humans. And maybe a bit more on this particular human. But it's only practical: whether she likes it or not, he is the main threat right now. She can deal with Asgardians and other humans are unlikely to recognize her. It's just a precaution.

She eyes herself critically, then shifts attention to her hair: black locks straighten and curl in her hands until she achieves that perfect seemingly accidental state in-between. She then keeps them in place with two golden hairpins clasped on her temples. Finally, with a wave of a hand she scatters a handful of golden dust on her hair.

“You can't use magic to make people love you,” scathes Brunnhilde, but the way she looks at Loki tells her otherwise. It's more than simple awe her spell is supposed to conjure and the queen thinks with amusement that if she really put her mind into that, she could seduce the Valkyrie with barely an effort.

“No, but I can make them too entranced to care.”

“Look, you're not even right gender for him. What do you think he's going to do when he finds out there's a snake in the bushes?”

Loki knows it, but it's too late to back out. And to be honest, it's not even the worst thing she's ever done.

A god of bad decisions, she thinks with a slight bitterness. That's how she should be known.

But in the end, isn't a bit of fun worth it? Even if she's going to regret it later. At least for now, she can relax, forget about everything and just... enjoy.

“Maybe he won't,” she says.

“Sooner or later he will. Thor will come back and he won't allow this masquerade. Asgard hasn't changed that much since I left.”

The sheer mention of Thor's name is enough to send Loki in a fit of rage, so strong she barely notices the sudden bout of bitterness in Valkyrie's voice.

“And what could you know about it?” she asks harshly, spinning around to face the other woman. Brunnhilde doesn't answer, but a slight blush creeps on her cheeks and she turns her head away, escaping Loki's gaze. The queen's anger vanishes in a second and her lips widen in a sharp smile. “Oh, Brunnhilde. You were serious when you told me you would stay if I kept this shape,” she murmurs approaching her and wrapping a slender arm around her waist. Brunhilde grabs her hand, but doesn't push it away. She bits her lip, but after a short hesitation lifts her head and looks sternly into Loki's eyes before replying.

“Does it surprise you?”

“No, not at all,” the queen says merrily but lets go of the other woman and moves back to the magical mirror before summoning the long black and green coat with golden arm pads and putting it on. It completely hides what snake leather dress exposed and finally makes queen's look appropriate for going out. “But you will have to forgive me. I'm not drawn to people who try to sell me to my foes.”

Brunnhilde shudders, shaking off the queen's charm, but quickly regains her senses. It's probably much easier when you know you're being spellbound. Loki must remember that if she wants to keep Tony around.

“I only handed you to your loving brother. And that man outside is actually your enemy, so I cannot fathom what draws you to him. And I don't even care. Did you only call me here to tell me that?”

“No, I have a task for you.”

“Oh?”

Brunnhilde crosses her arms and leans onto a wall, feigning indifference, but the spark in her eyes reveals that she is in fact curious. Loki doesn't keep her waiting for too long.

“I want you to find me the strongest men and women and train them to be new einherjar.”

“Me?” Valkyrie winces in distaste, as if the thought of doing that was far beneath her. “Why don't you ask Ulfrun or Arnar? They would love to do it.”

“That's why I'm asking you. They would create an army then turn it against me.”

“You think I wouldn't do that?”

Queen replies straight away, shortly and bluntly.

“If you wanted me dead, you would just kill me yourself.”

“Oh, so you think I'm incapable of plotting?”

Loki smirks then she looks over her shoulder to send Valkyrie a quick glance.

“I think you're incapable of caring enough to plot.”

“Go to hell.” Brunnhilde straightens her arms and pushes away from the wall, but she can't hold back a smile. “We don't even have weapons.”

“We salvaged twenty guns from the Chitauri troops. And we can buy more from dwarfs if we need to. But first we need to know how many people we can train.”

“Asgardians don't use guns.”

“Well, it's about time they start.”

“You think they're going to like it?”

“I think that if one of our soldiers was carrying a gun, Hela wouldn't leave Bifröst alive.”

Brunnhilde winces at the mention of Hela, but then tips her head and admits reluctantly:

“You have a point.”

“And what's coming is worse than Hela.”

All traces of mirth disappear from the room, as if with those words some black vapor suddenly seeped in, enclosing them both and sucking a light out. Brunnhilde doesn't really know what that means – she cannot know. But Loki does, oh yes, she remembers everything, even though she pushes it away, hides it so deep inside, that no one can ever find it. Even now, she keeps her face blank.

“You mean that guy with a big ship?” Brunnhilde asks just to make sure.

“Thanos.” Loki nods. “Yes.”

“You think he's coming?”

“I know he's coming. The question is when. And if Midgardians are advanced enough to stop him.”

“Why do you rely on Midgardians?”

“Because we're on Midgard. And we don't have our own army yet. But we can remedy that, right, Brunnhilde?”

Loki looks back at Valkyrie. Queen's eyes are serious and lips pursed in a look of dark determination that not many have seen before. Whether they want to fight or not, it doesn't really matter. It's not their decision to make. All they can do is prepare. And the sooner they start, the better their chances.

“But what if mortals object? They didn't exactly welcomed us with open arms, their first reaction to us was to send their best warriors. If we start training troops...”

“I'll deal with them.” Loki smooths her expression then summons her kindest and most charming smile, watching with amusement how all of Valkyrie's doubts melt in an instant. If mortals are half as susceptible to her spells as Aesir, she has nothing to fear.

“All right.” The warrior waves toward the door, trying and failing to regain her good mood. “Enjoy your one night stand.”

“I will.”

* * *

Loki isn't really surprised to find that by the time she's ready, Tony's still meddling with a spaceship. His jacket is laying on the ground, next to an impressive looking toolbox with small engines in each corner. White shirt is marked with black streaks of soot and grease, hands equally dirty and covered in burns. But there's a spark in his eyes and he seems so absorbed that he doesn't even notice Loki until she stands right in front of him.

“Oh, hi,” he says lifting his head and smiling but then his mouth drops in awe and he can't say anything else. Although the coat conceals most of Loki's body, she's still a sight to behold. She would know: she's a man after all.

“Did you forget?” she asks, but can't help a small smile creeping on her face. Tony's enthusiasm for technology is adorable in a way. It reminds her very much of her own love for magic and those half-forgotten times when she felt truly happy.

“Uh, no I didn't. It's just a bit early, no?”

“The sun is setting.” She points towards the horizon which is indeed painted in streaks of red, gold and purple. Tony stares at it with an open mouth and a guilty look in his eyes and she chuckles. “Isn't that the right time for the dinner?” she asks tauntingly. He lifts his hand to scratch the back of his head, smearing grease all over his hair.

“Uh, it is... Damn. You see, I came here by car and the closest decent restaurant is like, four hours drive away. Plus, to be honest, I think I need a shower before that.” He discretely tries to sniff his own armpit and frowns hilariously. “Maybe I could summon the suit, if you don't mind riding on my back.”

Loki shakes her head in disbelief. Absolutely adorable. She almost can't believe that Thor, for once, showed a good taste in picking a friend.

“I have a better idea,” she hums mirthfully. She gestures him to follow then leads him back to the inhabited part of the meadow. Here, next to the Thingstead stand three small, mosquito-shaped jets. They look a bit battered, with crooked wings and bows broken off, but they are working.

“They are the ones that attacked us,” explains Loki. “Splitlip managed to get them running. They are flying and probably faster than that car of yours. And big enough for us two.”

Tony's face instantly brightens with a large smile.

“Cool.”

* * *

They make it to Oslo in less than an hour. There, Tony prompts Loki to land on the roof of a hotel, where he rented a room. It's a high-end place, so when the doorman sees Tony's state, he almost kicks them out. Only upon seeing the passport he finally shuts up. Loki finds the whole affair hilarious. Also, the fact that a piece of plastic apparently means more that man's own face. Mortals!

She waits in the lounge, seeping colorful drink when Tony goes to his room for a quick shower and a change of clothing. Finally, they are able to leave and head towards the restaurant, where Tony claims to have booked a table. It isn't the best place in the city (that was already fully booked for tonight), but still one near the top. Tony worries if Loki's gonna like earthly food, but she hushes him.

“In Asgard we usually throw everything into the pot, cover with beer and hang over fire until it becomes edible. Preferably taking it off before it stops.” 

So they order entrées, soups and mains. And then, because Loki's still hungry, she goes through three more mains before turning her attention to dessert. She always had an appetite and constant use of magic is more draining that she remembers. And they talk.

At first, the goddess isn't eager to speak – how is she even supposed to do it? She can give orders, jest or court, but holding a real conversation? When you get to know someone and get they to know you? The sheer thought of it makes her shiver. Her life so far has been a streak of failures and misery, the only things she enjoyed or excelled at were unrespectable. Plus, letting out too much can betray her identity. So she lets Tony speak. And he does that a lot.

He tells her all about his adult life, quickly brushing over the vain, indulgent part after his father's death and focusing on the other, meaningful one after he found his true calling. Of his lot as a superhero, trials and errors, failures and victories. His work as the Avenger, but also as an engineer and philanthropist. Of his inventions, his efforts to make the world a better place. Interestingly, at times he seems more proud of his work than his fighting. Something, Loki thinks, Thor would never appreciate, but it makes her heart flutter.

And then comes the moment she dreaded. He asks her about herself. She tries to brush it aside, stating she doesn't have many happy memories, but he urges her to recall some and to her surprise, she does.

Working with Frigga on their little herbal garden.

Finding the small room above the library, where she could hide from Thor and his cronies, reading for hours without being bothered.

Or the ship she got for her birthday, which she called 'Frelsi' and used to get away from the court, going for long, lonely trips, using hunting water serpents as an excuse, but mostly just wanting to get away from everything.

“That sounds lonely,” notices Tony.

“I preferred it this way,” she replies and to her surprise, she sees a flash of understanding in his eyes. Strange. Barton once called him a party animal. Even in their infrequent encounters he has never stroke her as someone who'd ever seek solitude. But then he tells her how he sometimes likes to lock himself in the lab and focus on his work and she understands.

Thor's was right about one thing. Those mortals are curious creatures.

Loki decides to change the subject and for reasons she cannot fully understand, to tell him about the Ragnarök. Along with her fighting and deposing of Odin. Maybe because he already knows about it from that fateful meeting with the Thing, so there's no point hiding it. Or maybe because of his own honesty. Because Tony isn't like anyone she knows. He's not ashamed of his own mistakes. He doesn't pretended they never happened, like Thor does. He doesn't blame others for them. He takes responsibility and with him Loki feels that if she does the same... he will understand. So she does ([i]to some extent[/i]).

“I ruled the Asgard before,” she admits.

“How did that feel?” Tony arches his eyebrow, but there's no judgment in his eyes. Only curiosity. And she confesses with utmost honesty, surprising even herself.

“Like dirt. I thought that being on top will grant me things my family denied me. Respect, love, a sense of belonging. People have to respect their king, right? And they did. But it wasn't me, it was never me. They pretended to care, just to humor me, but I knew, I saw through their lies. They still hated the real me and nothing I did could change that. I tried to convince myself it didn't matter, as long as they loved me as their king... but it didn't work. All that splendor could merely cover the wounds but it couldn't fill... the void.”

“So what now?” asks Tony after a short pause. His voice doesn't betray any emotions, even the look in his eyes is rather neutral. Loki shakes her head.

“I don't know,” she says. “Asgardians need a leader and until Thor's return, I am the only one who can fill this role. But after that, I think I'll be glad to hand the power back.”

“And what then?”

Loki doesn't answer. Tony reaches out to take her hand, she flinches and turns her head, but doesn't take it back. Trying to hide the discomposure, she clears her throat and continues her tale. Of Thor's discovery, Odin's death and liberating Hela. Of the destruction of Mjölnir, their doomed fight and fall from Bifröst. Of their experiences on Sakaar. And when time comes, she even tells him about her plan to sell Thor to Grandmaster. Tony frowns but doesn't comment. Maybe in the end even he doesn't expect anything good from her. But to her surprise, it's Thor's response that really shocks him.

“No!” he protests. “He didn't do this!”

Loki smiles bitterly.

“And why not?” She tries to sound tauntingly, but she can't hide her disappointment. So much for his faith in her! She pulls her hand back, but Tony doesn't even seem to notice, shaking his head in disbelief.

“He's... not like that. He's a good man.”

“Of course he is.” Her lips twitch and she realizes that her smile must have turned into an ugly grimace, but she doesn't care. “A mighty hero, everyone's favorite... ”

“He's not cruel,” he insists.

“No, he's not. He's just...” She pauses for a while, looking for words, then shrugs. “Selfish and incapable of empathy.”

And she know it was true. Thor never realized his own strength or power he had over people. He never noticed when their brawls – be it as training, play or fight – went too far and crossed the line when they could be considered harmless fun. He never noticed how much his words, dismissing, belittling or plainly insulting hurt. And how could he? He was Asgard's golden boy, no one could hurt him and no one dared insulting him. And that's why Loki tried so hard... Just to make him feel the same way she did. But it's not possible. She only hurt herself in the process.

“That's not true! Look, I worked with him, I lived with him. I saw him helping people, you can't say he did that without empathy...”

“He fights for glory, not for people.” She smiles again, but this time without bitterness and feels tears burning in her eyes. How pathetic. No wonder everyone prefers Thor. He's a real man. Strong and brave and... collected. Nothing like her. Thor's someone people can look up to and she shouldn't really expect this mortal to be any different.

“I'm gonna have to talk to him when he comes back,” Tony grumbles, breaking her line of self-pity.

“You don't have to believe me,” she says quickly. “Maybe it's even better if you just forget...”

“I do believe you. I just... I hope he's got a pretty damn good excuse.”

“I tried to sell him to slavery,” she reminds him, not sure why. Is she defending Thor now? Why? She hated him then. She should hate him now. For all the pain he caused, then and before. Is it just her innate contrariness? Or maybe she just can't believe that anyone... let alone an Avenger... may ever stand for her. Against Thor. And yet...

“I know, Leikný. But shit... I thought Thor is better than this.”

Loki shakes her head, but still feels the need to try, one last time.

“Me and Thor always fought.”

“There's a difference between fighting someone and torturing and leaving to die. Look, I've been electrocuted before, I wouldn't wish that on Loki, not to mention on you. And leaving you alone on that garbage dump with a psycho leader? Not cool.”

She doesn't know what to say so she hangs her head and starts prodding her piece of Kvæfjord cake. For a moment they sit in silence, before Tony finally breaks the it with a question, prompting Loki to stop massacring the cake, but not to look up.

“Why did you came back?”

“I don't know” She shrugs again and lays down her fork, completely losing interest in the dessert. It looks like a pile of dirt now anyway. “Where else could I go?”

“Um, anywhere in the galaxy? What did you hope to accomplish?”

That's a very good question...

“I think at first I just wanted to shove the whole ship into Thor's face. Just crash it in, let it all burn. Him, me, all Asgard, all this... But then I saw our people running from Hela's army and... I couldn't do it. They were my people too. And they shouldn't suffer for my misery.”

“So you went to save them instead.”

“Yes.”

Honestly, what else could she do? She has nowhere else to go. For better or worse, Asgard is her only home and Thor – the only family.

And despite everything, Thor took her back. She didn't think it possible, after all that happened, all the hurt and betrayal on both sides. So she tried to distance herself, carve her own way. Pretend she doesn't care about them, as they didn't care about her. But it was a lie. She always cared. And she didn't even realized how much she missed someone's approval until Thor finally gave it to her.

Now it seems like the only thing she can do, is to do the same. Swallow the pride. Forget the pain, betrayal and humiliation. Let it all go.

([i]No, Loki[/i]).

After all, she can't fight him. She can't make him a better brother. She should... take what she can. Feed on the scraps of love he gives her. Stop asking for more. Stop asking for anything.

Tony doesn't speak for a while, he looks at her thoughtfully and Loki feels a sting of uneasiness. Coming here was a mistake. She expected it all to be fun and games and it was, right until it wasn't. She should finish it as soon as possible and head back to the camp. But before she can speak, Tony beats her to it.

“I'm glad you did. I mean, I don't know, I still feel like punching Thor after what he's done and I admire you for not doing that. But I'm glad that in the face of danger you could put your differences behind and, you know. Do the right thing.”

“Thank you,” she speaks after a while, but then her voice breaks and she's unable to say anything else. Her lips twitch and another tear rolls from her eye. Why is this happening? Why is she so weak? Damn her. And damn this stupid mortal, for making her feel that way. Damn this all to hell.

Tony grabs her hand again and pulls it closer. His grip is firm and reassuring and for a moment she feels her worries disappear. But it's stupid. She's stupid. And it's all going to blow in her face. But it's so hard to worry about it now, when his hands are so warm and his eyes so bright and for the first time in years she feels... What?

“What is it?” asks Tony. Loki shakes her head, then exhales deeply before speaking.

“It's just... Asgardians always despised me. They thought me a freak. That what I do is... inappropriate. Unnatural. Repulsive. They never said it, not to my face... Yet I could hear them whispering, feel their eyes on me, sense their revulsion. But I thought that if I do something right... If I save them all...” She stops, once again unable to speak and shakes her head. So Tony says what she can't.

“You thought they will like you?”

Loki barks a joyless laughter.

“A bit of gratitude certainly wouldn't hurt,” she remarks.

Tony sighs, but closes his hands around hers.

“You know, I don't want to sound like a devil's advocate here, but they're probably in shock. I mean, they lost everything. Their homes, their world, their king. They're probably still processing that. And it's easier to find someone to blame and vent on them than finding a real solution. I'm sure when they calm down and really think about what's happened, they will be grateful.”

“It's easy for you to say, everybody loves you already.” Suddenly filled with anger, Loki rips her hand from his grasp. He's surprised, but quickly composes himself and leans back, crossing his arms, with eyes still locked on her.

“You really think so? Let me tell you something. Most of the people around me? They only want my tech. At least third part of population actively hates me. They blame me for everything and they're partially right. I did some shitty things in my life, I admit. Some of them as Iron Man. Look, you have to learn to shut them down. Focus on good things. On those who really care for you...”

“No one cares for me,” she scoffs. “No one ever did and no one ever will.” But her anger dissipated, giving way to a quiet resignation. She realized it long time ago. Even Frigga, with all her love, would rather accept her as a monster than try to see behind her mask. All their talk of love, family, home meant less than air they needed to say it. They would turn their backs on Loki at first chance. And if she ever needed help or support or anything... she was on her own.

Perhaps Frigga was wrong. Perhaps there simply is no light for Loki to be found. And the best chance she has is to follow Thor, be useful, make sure at least he needs her. This way he won't be able to abandon her again, right?

“But maybe that's all I deserve,” she says bitterly. “Maybe there's nothing in me worth caring for...”

“No, fuck it.” The exclamation is so sudden, Loki jumps in her seat. She knows that his anger is not directed at her, but she can't help hunching. Before a mortal! How low she's fallen! “No one deserves to be tortured and left to die. There's no justification for such actions. Not coming from a good man. And we need to... we need to keep that distinction. Otherwise it doesn't matter who wins. If Thor can't take care of those closest to him and work out their issues without relying on mindless cruelty, how can we trust him to take care for anyone else? How can we trust that he won't turn into a tyrant as soon as Asgardians start displaying dissatisfaction with his rule? How can we trust that he won't try to conquer Earth if he finds out that our ideals are different that his?”

“These are a bit extreme, Thor would never...”

“I don't know, Leikný. You guys like to do everything in grand scale. And I already had one friend, who...” he pauses and peculiar spasm runs through his face. But he collects himself almost immediately and continues, with face as blank as only someone hiding something can make. “Well, let's say he turned out to be different than I thought.”

“Who?” Loki shifts uncomfortably in her chair, regretting she didn't pay more attention to Midgard affairs. But now she has a nagging feeling that there's more to it that simple disapproval of his friend's actions. No, it seems... personal. Tony shakes his head, but after a short hesitation he answers.

“Steve Rogers. Captain America. Also an Avenger. Well, former. You brother probably mentioned him. He's a fugitive now, pissed off a lot of people, ended up hiding with a suspected terrorist. I don't really want to talk about it.” That's a shame, because Loki would love to talk about it. If Avengers have split, that doesn't bode well for the Earth's future. 

She looks closely at the mortal and it strikes her again how much older he seems. But it's not just age she sees in his eyes and deep lines on his face, but also something akin to pain and betrayal, things she knows all too well. She was right, it is personal. Not at all about Thor but rather... a general disappointment in his teammates, disillusionment in the idea they were meant to represent. And Thor is just a last step in the long line of letdowns.

Not that she minds. She's not the one to rely on other's pity or any feelings towards her, to be honest. But if they're there to supplement a personal grudge, she can put a faith in that.

Meanwhile, the mortal keeps talking, seemingly oblivious to her contemplative gaze.

“But in the end, we didn't kill each other. And I don't think, even if worst came to worst, that any of us would be capable of torturing the other. I'm not sure if I can put the same faith in Thor now...”

“You shouldn't.”

“Yeah.” His head drops and for a moment he stares into a table, fingers drumming some angry rhythm. But then he looks at Loki and says something that makes all thoughts of incoming war and her brother's thoughtlessness disappear. “Look, I can take care of you.”

Did he just said...?

“What?”

“You said no one will ever care for you. I will. I know we don't know each other for very long or probably very well, but I'm sick of that bullshit. I promise, if Thor ever tries something like that with you again, just call me and I'll come and punch him in the dick.”

It seems silly... And yet something in his voice, his immovable confidence makes her think, for a while at least... that he may be speaking the truth. For a moment her tears dry and her lips form a smile, almost genuine this time.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

* * *

After diner, they go for a walk in a Frogner Park. Loki isn't cold, but Tony gives her his jacket and she accepts. The don't talk about anything important anymore, instead commenting plants and sculptures as they walk by. Later they sit on a bench and observe northern lights dancing in the sky. When Tony leans in for a kiss, Loki doesn't push him away.

They end up in Tony's hotel room. Loki's previous trysts, especially with men, were usually short, almost mechanical, which left her disinterested in such things. Even now, she expects to just humor Stark, but that's not what's happening. Tony is warm and passionate and soon she can't help but reciprocate.

In the morning Loki leaves before Tony wakes up. She doesn't want to be the one left behind.

* * *

And yet the next day Tony comes back. This time he has to fight his way through a crowd of volunteers and journalists. It took them long enough to show up. He notices that the reception from Asgardians is lukewarm at best. Most of them don't seem interested in offered goods and when asked only respond in grunts and shrugs. Good to know it's not just Tony to receive such a reception. Some desperate journalists try to catch him for a quick interview, but he waves them away.

Leikný is among the boulders, discussing something with a group of dwarfs. The works advanced since yesterday: some are still working on asteroids, but others are already bending, shaping and connecting pieces of metal into machines which purpose Tony can only imagine. He watches them for a while, waiting for others to leave the queen before he can approach her.

“Hello, your majesty,” he greets with his usual Hollywood smile. “You left early.”

“You would do the same,” she replies turning her head away. He stands at her side, with hands in his pockets and eyes slowly trailing after some random dwarf. Meeting her after what happened last night feels awkward, even more than he expected, but he doesn't let that deter him.

“Probably,” he admits with feigned ease. “I suck at morning-afters.”

She smiles, as if content to pretend that this was her true reason for running away.

“So do I.”

“But I would come back,” he asserts. Leikný arches her eyebrow. 

“Oh?”

“You didn't think you can get rid of me that easily?”

“Well. You're not really known for the... consistency of your feelings.”

“Whoa, I never heard someone putting it that way. I think I know who I need to thank for such reference. But you're right. Still, I think...” He stumbles, unsure how to say what he means. He sucks at this too, that's why he usually avoids such situations. But he couldn't do this to her. “You are more than a one night stand.”

“Two nights stand?” she asks playfully and he feels his nervousness melting. He chuckles.

“How about we stay together in non-obligating relationship until we decide otherwise?”

He's not entirely sure what he means by that, but he thinks it sounds right. Not too final, not too... disrespectful. She's clearly not against some harmless fun, so he hopes she will concur. Because after last night he feels more than attraction to her. She's... intriguing him. He can't shake the feeling that despite the openness and vulnerability she's shown so far, there's still much more to her than meets the eye. At times she seems eerily familiar, but he can't put his finger on it. He doesn't know what it all means. But damn, he intends to find out.

And he's going to keep his promise, no matter what.

“I guess we could do that,” she admits after a short pondering.

“Cool.” He moves closer and tries to wrap his arm around her waist, but she moves away.

“But not here. People are watching,” she hisses.

“Let them watch,” he tries again, but she grabs his hand and squeezes it till he squeals. Damn, he forgot how strong Asgardians are. “Ok, ok, I got it. Jeez. Careful, I work with those hands.”

“Then you should think about keeping them safe.” Her lips split in a venomous smile and Tony shudders because for a moment she looks eerily familiar. But then she points with her head, urging him to look around and in second he understands. The dwarfs are watching them, pretending they don't, but close enough he can see disgust in their eyes and it hits him. He's not entirely sure if it's him or her they detest. He's not worried about himself, he's used to it and he knows how to deal with it, but he doesn't want to make her go through it. So he lets go.

“So, have you been doing something interesting today?” Tony asks nonchalantly, like the previous event never took place.

“I had a meeting with local politicians.”

She turns away and gestures at him to follow, away from the dwarfs. He complies and soon they leave the asteroid field and head toward the cliff.

“How did it go?”

“They agreed to let us stay until we make a new Asgard. They even offered to help us build a temporary settlement.”

“That's nice of them.”

“Yes. Apparently, the winters here can be pretty harsh. Tents won't be enough to keep us alive.”

“Um, probably not. So, how are the works on this new Asgard?”

“Good. Our architects managed to finish the plans without killing each other. Now they will foresee the construction of the forge and then Asgard.”

“Um. So, in the end, they'll do the whole job?”

He tries to hide it, but he is disappointed. When they suggested building new Asgard for the first time, he imagined it being brought into existence by the use of magic, whatever it was. If anything, that would push his awareness of what's actually possible. And who knows, maybe he could convince Leikný to do it from the inside of a particle accelerator so he could catch a glimpse of the processes happening? Well, maybe at least he'll be able to get his hands on their tools.

“The construction of a flying fortress requires a technical knowledge I don't have. I can grant them the power of the Tesseract and all the materials they need. But the elements need to be constructed here and tested thoroughly before takeoff. When time comes, I will lift the frames and engines and assemble them in the air.”

“Why does it need to be assembled in the air?”

“It's shaped a bit like a spinning top.” She waves her hand, summoning a semi-transparent image of what he assumes to be an Old Asgard. It's round, six feet in diameter and one feet in height. Tony can't say what's the scale here, but he can't make out any buildings or anything. Only the castle and a thin, colorful line he assumes to be Bifröst. The queen doesn't even slow down and the image moves with her, spinning slowly and majestically. “Engines, space port and the life support system are in the bottom part. Plus, some parts of defense system. This will make up most of the mass. Compared to that, the upper part with city and park will be very small.”

Defense system. She mentioned it before. He knows that Asgardians are warriors and there's no telling the amount of trouble they may get into if they ever decide to leave Earth. But there's something in her voice that makes him think that there may be more to it.

“Do you expect attack?” he asks.

“Maybe.”

Leikný shrugs, but her face takes on impenetrable look and for some reason Tony thinks that answer is yes. And then he remembers.

“Those guys that attacked you on your way here?” The queen doesn't answer, just bits her lips and turns her gaze. So he has to prod. “I saw bodies when you crashed. Those are the same aliens that attacked the Earth few years back. What do they want in here?”

“Revenge” she replies almost immediately. “You cost them an army, He's not going to forgive that.”

“We cost them an army?! They came here with that ass... gardian renegade, I mean...”

He stutters, then stops before embarrassing himself any further. He's not even sure what was her relationship with the other brother, but cursing him after his redemptive death seems like a dickish move. And then he remembers what they talked about when they first met.

“Do you think he was being mind controlled?” he asks. It never occurred to him before. Loki's eyes during the invasion were bluish, but not as blue as Barton's when he was under the spell. But if Loki's natural eye color was green, then something must have been wrong. Wonder why Thor never mentioned anything?

Well, he said Loki was not himself, but he refused to talk to him or look for any sort of explanation, so...

“I think,” Leikný speaks after a pause, still with a slight hesitation in her voice. “That Loki found himself in a very dark place. Surrounded by the worst beings in the universe, with no way out and no one to help him and perhaps... It made him do things he wouldn't otherwise do.”

Tony nods, but doesn't say anything. He knows exactly what she means by a dark place. He was in one too. And to this day he can't help but wonder what would happen to him if Ho Yinsen wasn't there to guard and guide him. Except he doesn't have to imagine, because he already saw that. In Loki's eyes.

“If there is just one thing I may ask of you.” Leikný stops and looks him in the eye. “Please, don't hate him.”

“I won't,” he promises and discovers, with a surprise, that he's telling the truth.


	4. Reign of Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get a quick summary of Loki's rule

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is almost entirely worldbuilding with some character development thrown in for good measure. If you find yourself bored to tears... I'm sorry. But I had too much fun writing it ^_^
> 
> This chapter contains some moderately graphic depiction of killing and slaughtering an animal. If you're sensitive to such content, you may want to skip the part that starts with "You can't do that!".
> 
> There's also brief mention of torture near the end of the part with Eir.

The next few months are relatively peaceful.

UN strikes a deal with Asgardians, giving them permission to stay on Earth mostly undisturbed until New Asgard is build. They don't even bother deploying military, probably because Asgardians crashed in Bumfuck-Nowheresberg and the only thing they threat is a colony of seagulls. Plus, Iron Legion, safely stashed in surrounding forests, does better job anyway and without the risk of provoking any incident.

Of course, UN still wants to have someone, preferably Avengers, on site at all times and Tony, generous man that he is, offers to cover most of the shifts.

Not just because of Leikný. In fact, he spends almost as much time with her, as he does with the ship she gave him. Sometimes he also talks with dwarfs and even manages to get his hands on one of the extracting machines. When that happens, he disappears in his workshop for a week and emerges with a handful of patents.

He also befriends Splitlip. The dwarf is crude and he hates queen's guts, constantly warning Tony about snakes. But he's also an engineering genius and speaking with his counterpart but with alien technology and completely different base, is like a wind in the sails of Tony's mind. And the dwarf must feel the same since he's spending more time with the mortal than with his own brethren.

Of course it doesn't mean that Tony doesn't spend time with Leikný. As soon as he finds out that the only amenities in the royal chamber are an inflatable mattress and a green coat serving as a blanket, he takes the queen shopping. At first she's reluctant to let him pay, but she finally agrees when he jokes that he's only doing it for the tech they brought. They buy some furniture from Ikea and christen the bed this very evening.

He tries very hard not to be a neglectful boyfriend. He takes Leikný to restaurants, an opera, a theater, various museums, a cinema and even a rock concert. She thinks 'The Ring of the Nibelung' is the most ridiculous thing ever but she likes the music so Tony gets her a stereo set with a full collection of Wagner's music. She's not fond of crowds on a concert and gets bored to tears on a newest action movie. Slowly Tony runs out of ideas of how to entertain her. Fortunately, there's always a bedroom and his invention there is infinite.

* * *

Loki is even busier, splitting her time between building New Asgard and trying to secure its position. Despite having options, most of the people decide to stay instead of running to other Realms. Some even, mostly merchants, wandering journeymen and adventurers, return from their voyages, ready to support their nation in whatever way they can. Few aliens ask Loki to send them to some sort of cosmopolitan planet and she complies. She also sends Korg away, not asking for his opinion – the last thing she needs is some idiot bumbling about revolution. Heimdall says he is happy to be back with his people, so Loki thinks she did the right thing.

At first, people ask for Thor. But Trickster's powers are limited. Oh, Tesseract allows her to reach all across the universe, but finding the right spot – the moving one to boot – is difficult. It's easy enough when reaching for objects close to her, either in physical space or along the branches of Yggdrasil, but Thor is far beyond that. Even with Heimdall's help Loki's not sure if she could find him, let along bring him in, so after a while people stop asking. Perhaps they are content to know that their king is on his way. He'll be here soon enough and whether he chooses to rip Loki to pieces or not for not helping, remains to be seen.

The housing provided by local government turns out to be a bunch of glorified trailers, but they're better than tents and with re-purposed engines and a bit of clever engineering from Splitlip they manage to keep them warm. They also get food, clothing and even some toys for children. Loki stays in the shipwreck. It's not the most comfortable place, but it has one thing she values more than anything: a lock on the door.

Dwarfs complete the forge in less than two days and the construction of the floating city commences shortly after. It takes days before the first engines are complete and many are needed just to keep the machine moving. A thousand dwarfs work day and night and soon the forge with half-build machines stacked around takes up more space than the Asgardian camp.

Some mortals express reservations, but what can they really do? Loki happily signs pacts and treaties with countries of Midgard, with few restrictions that don't mean much for now, but may come in handy later. She's as kind and charming as she can be, which makes her sick to her stomach, but it's apparently enough to appease them. She travels around, sending smiles, expressing her deepest gratitude and assurances of eternal friendship, giving interviews.

That last part turns out to be entertaining, because Allspeak doesn't translate through media. Face to face every Asgardian can communicate with any sentient being with no problem, but in television they need a translator to repeat Loki's words to the public in perfect... whatever language it is that they're using.

Also, as a sign of good will, Loki gifts human scientists with access to Asgardian technology and brings them a couple of asteroids to study. Then she allows Heidrun to deliver few lectures at local universities. They agree to refrain from conveying the most advanced Knowledge of the Universe for fear it would be misused, but there are some facts that align with theories developed on Earth that they may safely elaborate on. Stark is a great help with introducing them to Midgardian science and although charmingly primitive, it manages to re-ignite Loki's own interest in seidr, something she hasn't pursued in decades.

Luckily, Heidrun, who worked as a royal librarian, managed to salvage the memory cube containing all books from Asgard. With a bit of time and a lot of gold, one day they will be able to turn them back into manuscripts. For now, Loki has to content with using the cube. It's not hard: she just holds it and the words appear under her eyelids. One could argue that this method of learning is more efficient, but it doesn't deliver the same sensual pleasure as reading a real book. It can't replicate the soft touch of parchment, the smell of ink and dust, not to mention ridiculous doodles left by bored scribes. Loki fondly recalls the long hours she could spend on learning, but instead dedicated to carefully tracing the illuminations, from fantastic beasts, krakens and winged horses, to fire-breathing arses and spider-legged pricks. Those memories make her smile. In a few centuries, maybe...

When not busy, Loki joins Tony's humanitarian efforts and goes to impoverished areas to gift them water filters and enchanted fruit trees. At first Tony tries to understand the process of enchanting, then sends in for a real biologist, but their science is few centuries too young, so they give up and let her do the job.

And after a while Loki starts feeling like she's not only doing it because of obligation. In the eyes of the people she helps she starts seeing the same thing they show Thor when he returns victorious from one of his expeditions. And it... It makes her feel that maybe there is still a way for her to prove her worth.

After all, she will never be a monster slayer. Or a great conqueror. Or even a good king. And being a god of mischief is hardly a reason for pride (not to mention that her oafish brother surpassed her even at that). Maybe it's about time she finds something else she can be good at. And for some reason, she thinks she has better chances here, on Midgard, than she ever had on Asgard.

Those mortals really are curious creatures. Different than what she remembered. Better. Smarter. And they cherish knowledge like no one in the Nine Realms. In their voyages Tony shows her buildings, universities, museums, observatories, whole institutions dedicated to gathering and celebrating knowledge. And no one is called ergi for participating. No one says that dabbling in such things is unmanly or inappropriate. No one tells Tony that he's wasting time in a lab when he could be drinking or punching things.

Sometimes Loki wishes she was raised here instead of Asgard but then she remembers how this world looked few centuries ago and waves such thoughts off. She still doesn't understand what Thor sees in it, but she can feel it growing on her.

If only she could live here openly, free from the burden of her past... But somehow she thinks that a couple of magical trees is not enough to compensate for her transgressions. She's not sure if mortals can truly hurt her. That sorcerer is a threat she wasn't prepared for. So is the metal man with a mind gem in his forehead. Plus, Tony admitted to meddling with Chitauri weapons and there's still a matter of missing Avengers. Worst of all, should anyone discovered her true identity, mortals would probably become far less accommodating for Asgardian refugees. Once again, she's not sure if anyone can get seriously hurt in war with Midgard... But she cannot risk it.

In the end she knows well enough that she'll only feel safe when she leaves the Earth.

* * *

With matters on Midgard settled, Loki can focus on establishing relations with other Realms. Dwarfs of Nidavellir and elves of Alfheim agree to work for her, in exchange for a percentage of metals extracted from asteroids and that's enough for her. She can do business with them (as long as she remembers to avoid bets), but she prefers to leave the matters of actual sovereignty to Thor.

She also sends Adill to Vanaheim to investigate the public mood. He returns with carts full of clothes, food and spices and assurance of deepest sympathy from the king Beiti. But he also warns that many people in Vanaheim rejoice at the thought of being freed from what they call 'Asgardian oppression' and if their king will push too much, they may rebel again. Loki decides to leave that to Thor also. She feels a pang of guilt as she know she could at least try to smooth things out, like she did when impersonating Odin, but then again, she's dying to see Thor dealing with a problem he can't punch. He got better with that in recent years, she has to admit, but he's still... well, Thor. He has preferred methods of solving problems and it should be taken into account.

* * *

With that out of the way, she can once again focus on Asgard and her first move is expanding the groove. Many women took seeds from their gardens and kitchens, even more is provided by two former forest rangers, who preserved whatever they could from the seed vault. All in all, they manage to save around a hundred Asgardian plant species and with a bit of magic they make some of them grow alongside Loki's trees.

Not for long, though. Few months after their arrival, weather changes, days become cold, water turns into ice and the ground gets covered in a thick layer of snow. Loki knows snow – although weather in old Asgard was stable throughout the year, she witnessed change of seasons while traveling the lesser Realms. It never bothered her, but for some reason Asgardians seem really put off, spending most of their days indoors and wrapping themselves in heavy clothes when outside. And the plants die. Well, Loki keeps them alive in magical suspension, but they don't grow anymore, so there's that. Humanitarian efforts waned when mortals realized they're no longer welcome, so they can't count on that for their provision. They still have enough to last few weeks, but no more and Loki worries that people may start questioning her authority again.

So far no one has tried anything, but she can feel their eyes following her every time she passes the camp, she hears the words whispered when they think she can't hear. Son of Laufey. Sometimes it makes her want to scream and smash and kill whoever spoke or just whoever is on her way. Or just everyone. Every single person from this damned race, those vipers, those bullies. And they call her a monster?!

But she restrains herself. She stopped hoping for their love – or anyone else's, for that matter – but they are still her people and she has to take care of them. If she won't, who will?

In a way she knew how it was going to be. It was always like this and she couldn't expect anything to change. But she thought she can endure it, if only Thor was there. But he isn't. The only thing that keeps her grounded is the thought that...

_Your mother would be proud._

Not father, it would be stupid to expect his approval after what had happened. But mother... Yes, she loved her children, no matter the gender or their deeds. And Odin...

_I love you, my sons._

Well, Loki's still not sure what to think of it. After bitter rejection, cruel mockery, abandonment, then burring her alive like a shameful secret he didn't want anyone to mention...

_I love you, my sons._

It all happened too fast... One minute this, and the next Loki was fighting for survival with the goddess of death herself. There was no time to ponder. She just wishes they had more time (or use the little they had for something other than pointless bickering). And now Odin is gone and Loki's guess is as good as any. 

So she stops thinking and focuses on her job. It's a good thing too. Keeps her grounded. Gives her a sense of purpose, but not like before, when she was a pawn for Thanos. There's no threat looming above her head or dark artifact meddling with her thoughts. No, she's on her own, she's doing what she wants and for a greater good. And in the end...

Mother would be proud. And sometimes she wonders, if her father would too.

And then there's the mortal. It's ridiculous, how easy it was to wrap him around her finger. To make him fall to his knees and pray. She thinks that if she really wanted to, she could make him build her a temple. She considers it, but in the end she's not sure whose image she'd like to see there.

It's all harmless fun, of course. Still, there's something in the mortal's eyes as he looks at her...

_Your pretty face._

No, not that. Well, not only that. Against everything ( _he doesn't know_ ), he was the first person to ever believe in her. Not like Thor, who handed a thousand insults for every kind word. Tony didn't know her ( _didn't know who she was_ ), didn't know anything about her abilities... But he believed in her.

And it's easy to see the admiration in his eyes as he watches her work, play, do anything with her magic. A simple spell is enough to get him excited like a child. And she has to admit, the moments they spend together are the most fun she had in years. No – centuries.

Loki doesn't even notice when she starts thinking about herself as woman. It doesn't bother her as much as she expected, though.

* * *

But in the meantime, Loki also regains a bit of his lost masculinity by side of a certain beautiful creature. Her name is Svana, she's not a typical Asgardian beauty, with square face and too sharp features. But her appearance is somehow softened by lush mane of golden-red curls she stubbornly refuses to braid. Also, her lips seem perpetually locked into the most delicious smile and there's a mischievous gleam in her eyes that makes her irresistible to someone like Loki. She's barely a thousand years old and already stuck with a toddler.

“She's actually my niece,” Svana explains one day. She brought some fruit for Loki, prompting the queen to take a break. Now they sit on a boulder, watching dwarfs at work. Svana loves that and Loki doesn't mind. In public she's always in female form now: there are too many mortals still loitering around and Stark can come by any time. This, in turn, Svana doesn't mind. 

“Where are her parents then?” the queen asks and the girl's face darkens.

“Sveidi was einherjar and died protecting Asgard. Yrr, my sister, used to be a huntress, until she had her both legs bitten off by kraken few years ago. When Hela showed up, first thing she did was to put little Aeilif in my arms and told me to get her out.” Svana doesn't need to say what happened next. There were no cripples among those saved by Heimdall.

The queen turns her head respectfully.

“I'm sorry to hear that,” she says softly. Svana only smiles sadly, rolling fruit in her hands, as if suddenly devoid of appetite. “So there's just two of you now.”

“Well, my parents are in Vanaheim. They actually wanted to take Aeilif, but I told them that she's mine responsibility now and I'm not going anywhere.”

“That's very brave of you.”

“It's not that bad. Nanna helps me. And her brother, Sveinbiorn just came back from Nidavellir.”

Her voice changes slightly when she speaks that name, sparking Loki's interest. The queen arches her eyebrow and looks at girl with a smirk.

“Sveinbiorn, you say?” she asks with a low, curious voice. “Should I know him?”

Girl punches her arm playfully.

“It's not like that. He's a smith.” She says as if it was supposed to explain everything, then pauses. A nostalgic gleam shines in her eyes, when she finally admits: “I always wanted to be a smith.”

“Why didn't you?”

“Because my parents thought it's inappropriate for a young lady. I started making jewellery with a golden wire and they barely allowed that.”

Ah, yes. Long ago Loki noticed the fantastic earrings and necklaces Svana's always wearing. She seems to have a different set for every day and the queen wonders where she keeps that. Probably in her pocket dimension. Judging by the amount of gold, she comes from a noble family, so she probably received some education and for women in Asgard that usually means some sort of magic.

“Well... Your parents are not here to tell you what to do. If you heart is still in the forge, you should go seek it.”

Svana smiles sadly then lifts a little bundle she always keeps in her arms. Little Aeilif gurgles in protest.

“I have a child to take care of now,” Svana says.

“Well, leave her to Nanna...”

Girl scoffs and waves her off.

“Nanna has enough worries with the garden you entrusted her. Beside, my parents are right. It's not appropriate.”

Her head hangs low, her arms are slumped and her hands clench a little bit tighter on Aeilif's blanket. Their talk today hasn't been the merriest, despite the girl's usual joviality, but at this moment she looks truly defeated. And then Loki feels like something inside her snaps.

“Is it more inappropriate than a man practicing seidr?” she asks belligerently.

“No.” Svana sighs then states with a surprising, child-like honesty Loki doesn't expect to hear from anyone from Asgard: “I think in the ideal world everyone would do as they please and no one would mind as long as they don't hurt anybody. But we don't live in that world...”

“And what world do we live in?” asks Loki, suddenly agitated. “Look, Old Asgard is gone. So should its stupid rules. Who came up with them anyway?! What does anybody care for what other's do? As long as they don't hurt anyone, what the hell is wrong with that? Look, if you really want to do it, you should.”

“I know nothing about it...”

“Dwarfs will teach you. I'll order them. They don't care if you're a man or a woman as long as you have two good hands.” Svana's head drops as she smiles sadly, so Loki nudges her until she looks up again. “Look, I can order you too. Do it.”

Girl chuckles sheepishly, but the gleam is back in her eyes. It seems like Loki's words have finally struck home.

“Well...” she starts. “If you could ask them for some golden wire. For a start. It just... gets so boring in here. I think we're all sick of waiting.”

Loki stiffens, her sense of triumph disappearing in a blink.

“You're all sick?” she whimpers, hoping she misheard. What could be the problem? They have everything they need. They're building a new home. Why are they sick? Svana looks at her suddenly spooked, as if realizing she said too much.

“Yes, well...” she turns her head, embarrassed then waves her hand, as if trying to brush it away, but it's too late. “There's nothing really to do. People are bored. And get stupid ideas...”

“What stupid ideas?”

“Ah, it's nothing...”

“You wouldn't mention it if it was nothing.”

Svana shakes her head and Loki feels a cold chill creeping down her spine. Girl's sudden reluctance speaks more than anything she could actually say. The queen curses. Maybe she should pay more attention to the people. Not just the kingdom, the abstract concept of Asgard, but actual Aesir beings. She is always so busy, trying to smooth things out with Midgard, Vanaheim, Alfheim and Nidavellir, anyone but her own folk. She only makes sure that their most basic needs are met and apparently feeding them fruit and promises of a better future is not enough.

The problem is, she was never a people's person. Oh, she can talk, lie, trick, flirt, manipulate, deal and negotiate, but she can't... inspire the same way Thor does. She never really cared about people – no one, except for Frigga, cared for her, so why should she? But now, she thinks, it's more than sentiments – it's necessity. To survive.

And with bitterness she realizes, how much she would give to have Thor at her side. If Thor was here, no one would talk. No one would even think about any stupid ideas. But now she's on her own and she has to figure something out soon.

Svana reaches out and puts her hand on Loki's, making queen lift her head and look into her eyes searching for advice, but there is none. What a simple girl like Svana could know about managing a kingdom?

“It's not that, Loki. We are grateful for what you did during Ragnarök. It's just... boredom,” she tries to reassure the queen. “It will be over when Asgard is build.”

Loki sighs. She's probably right. Provided they'll survive till then.

* * *

“You... you can't do that!”

Leikný turns around to look at approaching Stark. The winter is in full swing now and ground around the camp is covered in snow, yet she strides around in unzipped leather jacket like it's springtime. When she stands there, surrounded by a bunch of guys wrapped up like little Michelin Men, the view is almost surreal. And Tony really wishes it was, because the background image is something taken from PR's worst nightmares.

“What?” she asks blankly.

He points to a carcass lying behind her. It's almost as big as the Thingstead, swarmed by Asgardian men with saws and axes. They cut the skin, meat and blubber with perfectly practiced movements, as if they did it every day. The ground is cluttered with pieces of innards and red with blood, still warm and steaming in cold air. Fucking slaughterhouse.

“Kill a whale,” explains Tony.

He wonders what species it is and if it's endangered. Hell, it probably is. Most whales are, he thinks. How can he know, he was never really interested in marine biology. He only knows what he learned from nature documentaries he watched with Bruce what feels like a lifetime ago. One thing he does know is that whales are smart and endangered and killing them is generally frowned upon.

Luckily, journalists mostly gave up moping around the camp when they realized there's no juicy gossip to be found. Tony feels that some of them would kill to be here now.

“Why not?” the queen asks, pulling him from his dark reflections.

“Because they are endangered,” he answers rapidly. “There's only few of them left and we're worried that they may go extinct if we don't protect them.”

He's not entirely sure if she's gonna get it. He doesn't know what's Asgardian relationship with nature. On one hand Leikný mentioned something about designing ecosystem, so they were clearly more advanced in some regard. On the other, from what Thor has said, their favorite pastimes were war and hunting, so...

“Endangered?” Leikný arches her eyebrow and looks at him thoughtfully. “By what?”

“Um, by us?”

“You drove those to the point of endangerment?” She points to a whale lying on the ground. It is enormous and if Tony didn't know better he would have hard time imagining humans killing such a thing, not to mention driving them to the brink of extinction. He's not even sure how did that happen. He thinks that centuries ago his ancestors didn't know they're gonna have such an impact. They probably thought whales to be in unlimited supply. Only when the animals almost disappeared people realized how much harm they've done.

“Um, yeah, we have a long history,” he blurts. She looks at him in a way that makes him feel almost personally responsible. He has nothing to do with it! He never hunted anything in his life, only humans... Which doesn't sound so good now that he thinks of it. Anyway, for whales the major damage was done long before he was born. “But we try to do better now. Why did you even do that?”

“We need food,” she states as if that's the most obvious thing on Earth. “Winter froze our garden.”

“You can get food from us, why do you need more?!”

Her face turns dark and she grabs his arm to take him away from other Asgardians.

“We can't accept that,” she says when they're out of earshot.

“Why, is this some stupid, Asgardian pride...”

“A child got sick,” she cuts and Tony freezes, trying to digest what he's just heard. “From the food your people brought.”

“I... I didn't know,” he stammers. Leikný smiles joylessly and shakes her head.

“We didn't want to tell you. That, ah, that may be a bit of a stupid pride.”

“Are they...”

“She's all right,” she reassures him, trying to put on one of those smiles that seem to promise that everything's gonna be all right. It comes out pale and he has hard time believing in it. But before he can object, she speaks. “A simple difference in biology. We may look similar, but we are different species after all. No one could anticipate... Alas, our people won't take any more food from you. I'm sorry.”

“Okay. Okay. But you still can't kill whales.”

“Do you want me to pay the weregild?”

“What?”

“You know... A restitution.”

“Uh, no, just... Don't do it again?”

He hopes that's enough. He doesn't have any real authority and he knows nothing about the deals Leikný struck with local government or environmental agencies or whomever. He's not even sure who exactly is responsible for such things. He just hopes they won't find out. That whale is dead anyway, there's no helping it.

Now they just need to make sure no one is here to snap a photo. It would be worth a fortune.

“All right.” Leikný cocks her head and looks at him carefully. “Tell me though, what are you feeding them?”

That snaps him from his line of thought.

“Um, what? They feed themselves, as far as I know.”

“There was a ton of waste in its stomach. And it was famished. It would probably die anyway, even if we didn't kill it.”

Oh. Right. Crap...

“Oh. It's, um, a byproduct.” He's heard about it in one of the documentaries. He thought it's a shitty thing, but then the movie ended and he never thought about it again. “We humans use a lot of plastic and we're not good at disposing it so most of it ends up in the oceans where dumb creatures eat it.”

Leikný sends him a scolding look, bringing back the sense of guilt.

“Those creatures spend millions of years adapting to life in the ocean. If you suddenly defile their home and fill it with dirt, you can't blame them for getting hurt”

“I know.” Tony sighs. “We need to get our shit together. But, you know, at least we're not actively hunting them?”

“I'm not sure if your destructive tendencies aren't more lethal to everything around you than honest hunting.”

He sighs again and rubs his temple. She's probably right. But damn... Never in his life has he cared about whales, environment, pollution and all that. He knows there is a problem, he just never thought he had something to do with it – or that he could do something about it. But perhaps he should. He's a genius inventor after all, maybe he can't solve the problem by himself, but he should at least try. He decides to set this as his next project. Right after he's done with the spaceship. Or just in the meantime. Maybe he can use those dwarfish extractors to, well, extract plastic from the sea? If only he could make them work in a distance longer than few feet...

“You're probably right,” he admits reluctantly. “But you'll think of what I said?”

“Aye.” She nods. “Hopefully, this one will provide us with enough food to survive until New Asgard is built. If not, I will have to go to Vanaheim and ask their king for a permission to hunt a fiery whale.”

“You think he'll agree?”

“Probably.” She shrugs. “Unless there's a mating season, I don't see why not. I'll ask Gullaug to weight and divide the meat, she'll tell me if we need more.”

Gullaug. He noticed that some time ago, that whenever there was some real work to do, he heard that name called.

“You really need her to do all the administrative work for you, don't you?” he asks with a smile.

“I would be completely lost without her,” Leikný admits with disarming honesty.

* * *

A few days after the slaughter Asgardians gather in one place. By now, whale bones have been cut and assembled into long tables and benches, providing enough seats for all Aesir. The furniture is arranged around the hearth, over which cooks what is called the royal stew. As tradition dictates, it's made of the best cuts of meat: heart, liver, brain and gonads. Seasoned with the right spices, it almost tastes like it did in Asgard. A hundred barrels of beer, mead and cider, brought especially from Nidavellir and mixed with Asgardian spices, heat up next to the fire.

At first Asgardians sit silently, looking suspiciously at their regent, who they're still not sure how to treat. They were all busy for the last couple of days, Loki made sure of that. Some were cutting meat and blubber, others made tables, other still carved bowls, cups and spoons for the big day. She also asked for the best scrimshander and commissioned him to turn some of the long bones into panels depicting the history of Asgard. She promised to hang them in the caste and the pride in man's eyes was invaluable. Looks like she got herself a follower.

There's still a lot of whalebone left and queen is sure that carving it into dishes, cutlery, buttons, jewellery, decorations, and even furniture will keep her people occupied for months to come. They can also sell some of it – or ready products – for other materials and tools. Plus a few other things, some toys for children, games, maybe musical instruments. Or better yet, ask people what they need or want. Yes, they would like that. It will make them feel important and cared for. Less likely to rebel. She'll have to ask Gullaug to make a list in the morning. Maybe they will have to sell some of the metals extracted by dwarfs, but even then it will be a small price.

And there's still a whale skin. Not the easiest material to work with, but Asgardians are specialists.

Back in their old home, they would kill a lyngbakr, a whale-like beast, every year, then divide its meat among all the citizens and throw a great feast to celebrate. It was one of the oldest and most sacred traditions. At least that's what Heimdall said. According to him, the first Asgard was a watery planet and Aesir were descendants of sailors and whalers. In those ancient times they all took part in killing and slaughtering animals, but as long as Loki remembers, only the royals had the privilege. No surprise, given that the waters around the city could only house twenty or so lyngbakrs. And so each year she and Thor took separate boats and competed for the kill, while whole Asgard watched. And because whaling required more tactic and skill than brute force, Trickster usually won while Thor landed in water.

But for Loki it was always just another duty. Another thing to do, a role to fulfill to appease the masses before she could go back to whatever else she was doing. Most of the things she did were like that: gestures which meaning she didn't truly understand, but which were necessary to keep peace. At least that's what Odin used to say. And she believed him, before everything went to hell and her whole life turned out to be a lie. But now she realizes that there might have been truth to at least some of his words. He was a ruler after all. The best one, according to some. And among all the things he made her do, this one seems the most appropriate for that occasion. Administrative duties are necessary, but rarely appreciated. And other Asgardian celebrations focus on victories – something she doesn't want to do, fearing that mentioning past deeds of Odin, Thor or even herself will do nothing but deepen the chasm between her and the rest of the family. So she goes with the whaling.

To her surprise, people seem happier when they have something to do. She decides to keep that in mind. Especially since the smaller surface of New Asgard, as well as extinction of lyngbakr, will make their traditional trade impossible. They will need another form of pastime. Loki didn't thought of that before: she asked alfar for a forest, because she knew it to be sufficient to feed them all. Pastimes or working economy seemed too distant to worry about – but perhaps it would be better to tackle them from the beginning, rather than hoping for a magical solution later. She will have to raise that issue in her next meeting with alfar sithis.

The stew was cooked for almost a whole day, but getting everyone around and seated takes almost as long. When everything is ready, Loki stands up. Everybody's eyes turn to her and those few who were talking, go silent.

“People of Asgard,” she starts. “I gathered us here for a chance of reconciliation. I know my deeds didn't always got your approval. I know many of you still don't trust me. But know that I spend my whole life in Asgard. It was my home as much as it was yours and I mourn it as much as you do. But the old Asgard is gone and if there can ever be a time for us to put our differences behind and start anew, it is now. From me, I can only promise to do my best in building us all a new home, as magnificent... and as welcoming... as the previous one.”

Loki sits down and gives a sign, then twenty maidens rush to distribute food and drinks. Starting with Loki, then members of Thing seating at her side, and then everyone else. Loki's the first to eat, just to prove that food isn't poisoned, but initially Gullaug, Heimdall and Brunnhilde are the only ones to follow. Others seem reluctant until finally hunger prevails and one by one they join the feast. It is magnificent, even more so because it's the first truly warm and skillfully crafted meal many of them have eaten in weeks. Soon, the mood lightens, silence gives room to murmurs at first, then talks, laughs, finally someone initiates a song and most people join in. For the first time in years Loki feels like she is doing something right.

It is no coincidence that this feast, that will go down in history as the real beginning of New Asgard, takes place on what in Asgardian calendar is called a Lokisday. She think she earned it, though.

* * *

Four months after opening the Forge they have enough pieces ready to start assembling. Loki knows the plans, understands what goes where. Now it's just a matter of getting it up.

Main structural elements are all made of certain form of carbon, very light but nearly indestructible. Dwarfs are the only ones who know how to make it and they guard their secrets fiercely. The axis of the world is a large column connected through five beams, each wider than a six lane driveway, to a circular frame. The frame will hold the engines: hundred behemoths, each the size of a house, just to keep the construction in the air. Another hundred will grant it mobility. Furthermore, special emitters to surround the world with energy field to keep the air and water inside and space radiation out. Then, the whole life support system, that will take up the space within the frame and stretch for miles on Asgard's bottom side. And, of course, defense system. Loki actually asked for a physical wall: ten miles tall structure that, when complete, will surround the world from all sides, leaving only a small opening an the top to let the sunlight in and a long crack for Bifröst (the bridge needs a certain length to work properly and it couldn't be contained within Asgard itself). But there will be an immaterial shield as well, similar to the one in old Asgard, but obviously more modern and powerful.

Not all this is ready yet, of course, just a frame and enough engines to keep it floating. But Loki dreads spirit getting low again. She thinks that a real, tangible vision of a new home, even so early in the construction, can lift it up a bit. And remind everyone of her usefulness.

The work is hard and demands absolute concentration. Luckily Loki got plenty of practice. Not just recently – she's been familiarizing herself with the Tesseract since she got out of prison. She wanted to be ready when Thanos comes – and she was so focused on the Great War, that she ignored the threat rising under her nose. But, what's done is done, no point regretting it. She knows better now.

And the practice doesn't go to waste, after all. At first it was hard to grab specific objects, especially at distance, but in time she got better at it and now she can manipulate anything anywhere, almost without effort. It's still exhausting though and at the end of the day she often finds herself completely drained.

“This one is also ready,” says Ivaldi The Younger, pointing to another engine. This one is different than the ones she installed before: still large, but more slender, resembling a spindle with no visible openings. “There's a niche in the main column, right in the center of the world, it should fit right in.”

“What is that for?” asks Loki. Ivaldi slumps his head, visibly abashed, apparently not expecting that question. And truth be told, Loki doesn't usually ask, knowing that the answer will mean nothing to her, but there's something in that engine... The dwarf clasps his hands together, then awkwardly crosses them on his chest just to drop them to his sides and finally joining them behind his back, all this time avoiding Loki's eyes.

“It's, uh...”

Her gaze hardens and she straightens up, taking on her most imperious pose.

“What?” she asks with voice as cold as ice and as sharp as dagger. Ivaldi hunches, eyes still glued to the floor, but finally he realizes that he can't stall indefinitely. He clears his throat before answering. 

“It's creating, uh... An Odinforce.”

“Odinforce.”

The word strikes Loki like a lightning. Odinforce. It came... from an engine?

“H-how?”

“It uh, transforms dark energy into the form that can be used by living sorcerers. Don't ask me, I'm not a sorcerer. Odin was the one who designed it.”

“Can anyone use it?”

“It's calibrated for Odin. And everyone sharing his, uh, genetic material.”

“What about me?”

“Are you Odin's biological child?”

No. She shakes her head. It's impossible. It can't be!

For all her life she revered Odin. She thought he had powers she could barely comprehend, much stronger than her paltry magic. And he had! In Asgard he was almost omnipotent, he controlled the winds, water, people. He was a god. And all this... was just coming from the machine? And Thor – Thor has this power too! For all his life he could only control lightning, but after Odin's death she thought it obvious that sooner or later he will inherit his father's might.

And she... she has nothing. Just what she learned and that is no more than any being, even mortal, can have. And not because she is inferior to her family or unworthy... but simply because she doesn't have the right genetic material.

In her head, she hears the roar of thunder, she feels the fire burning through her veins, so familiar that it became integrated into her very own being.

_Hey, Loki, look what I can do now!_

_Of course you're going with us._

_What do you mean: no?_

It takes her a while to realize that she's screaming, her voice barely raises above the thunder in her ears. She clenches her fists at the sides of her head, pulling hair out, but she doesn't even feel it. Her whole body's shaking, nerves burn with the same pain, as the one inflicted by lightning, striking so many times that she can't even count them. And even that pales in comparison with the cold, burning hole in the place where her heart used to be.

“You.” She grabs Ivaldi's lapels and lifts him up like a doll. He tries to protest, but the look on her face pushes the words back into his throat. “You will re-calibrate the machine. Include my genetic makeup in its programing.”

“I-I can't delete what was already written!” he mewls.

“Did I ask you to?” she screams, but then composes herself. She's still pale and shaking like a reed caught in a storm, but she puts the dwarf down and smooths his clothing. It's not his fault, after all. He can only fix it. “You can keep Odinson in the programing. You're just going to add me in. And that's not a request.”

* * *

It is inevitable that Tony and Svana finally meet. It's Lokisday again, few weeks after the feast and the queen takes the day off. She decides to spend it with her girlfriend, helping to take care of youngsters whose families perished in Ragnarök. The children were saved by their schoolteacher, stern lady called Astrid, and now all young women take their turns in caring for them.

This day Svana is playing langeleik and reciting old thula while Loki sits aside with little Aeilif on her lap. She recognizes the song: it's about forming of the universe. She heard it too, in slightly different form, when she was child.

As soon as Svana finishes singing, they hear a clapping behind them. They turn around to see Tony standing few steps away. None of them noticed him getting there, even children didn't react, mesmerized by Svana's voice. And she does have a beautiful voice, Loki could listen to her for hours.

“Nice song.” Tony says instead of greeting. “Not exactly my type of music, but damn, your voice is good. Hi babe.” He finally turns toward Loki and freezes when he notices a baby on her lap. “It's not yours, right?”

“She's mine,” Svana says before Loki can speak and takes Aeilif to cuddle her possessively on her own lap. Forgotten langeleik is laying on the ground, propped against the rock. “My little Aeilif.” She rubs her nose against the baby's, earning a giggle. Then she remembers something and turns to Loki to proudly announce: “She took her first step yesterday.”

Loki smiles, but doesn't say anything instead just reaching out to fix baby's swaddle. It's hard to believe Svana's brags now, with Aeilif wrapped so tightly, she looks more like a little seal than a proper As.

“How old is she?” asks Tony, sitting at Loki's side.

“Ten,” answers Svana, still smiling widely. Tony is looking at Aeilif with aloofness, as if not sure what to make of her. But soon enough his competitive nature comes to play.

“Huh. I build my first computer when I was ten,” he brags, prompting Loki to roll her eyes. But Svana only smiles a bit more mischievously before replying.

“I'm sure at one hundred she will surpass you at everything.”

Tony pouts dramatically, but soon realizes that he can't win. Aeilif's just too cute and both ladies barely notice his hurt. So he changes his tactics.

“How exactly does age work for you guys?”

“It doesn't,” says Loki flatly. “We're immortal gods.”

“Yeah, right. You can keep those tales to your own kids. I know better.”

“How so?”

“You said yourself that Odin died of old age.”

She scoffs, but has to admit his point. Clever beast. That's why she likes him so much.

“Fair enough,” she speaks. “We live around five thousand years. More or less. Up to hundred years of age, Asgardians are considered children. This boy, for example, is seventy.” She point to one of the kids sitting at far end of the group. He's pale, with long, black hair and a solemn look in his dark blue eyes. Seventeen would be more appropriate in human terms and even that's a stretch. “And that girl is thirty.” A little angel smiles upon being called, exposing the complete set of perfectly straight teeth. She's typical Scandinavian beauty, pale and ethereal, with blue eyes and grey-blond hair. As human, she could be at most five. “At that age, most children spend time with families or in school.”

“A century of education.” Tony sounds impressed. “That must produce some clever brains.”

“Not exactly,” Loki smiled sadly. “The education is very basic. Writing, arithmetic, names of Realms and members of royal family are the only real requirements. Kids spend most of their time listening to thulas or playing games. Well, to be fair, most of our games can be considered educational in a way. But if anyone wants to really learn, they need to find a private tutor or venture to Vanaheim. But that is only available for the upper class. And most of the Asgardians don't care about education. We're warriors, not sithis. As long as we know which way to hold an ax, we're good.”

She can't help a bout of bitterness when she utters the last words. She knows which way to hold an ax. And a sword. And pike. And hundreds of other weapons. She was never good with any of them. Thor was a fighter, but for Loki each of their stupid quests meant fear, pain, humiliation and long weeks spend with Eir in Lyfjaberg. Only when she stopped caring whether she lives or dies, the fight became bearable. She wondered if that's what it takes to be a good warrior. Just letting go. Embracing the death rather than fearing it. And waiting for the end. She wanted to think that there must be more to life than that, but sometimes it was so hard to see... Especially with Thor around.

Tony's next question tears her away from her gloomy thoughts.

“What does that word even mean? Sithi...”

Ah, yes. More to life than this.

“The one who knows,” she explains. “A scientist. Or sorcerer. Usually a bit of both.”

Tony nods in agreement, but then frowns and looks at Loki inquiringly.

“So, how did you manage to build interplanetary empire without scientist?”

She shrugs.

“We didn't. Our ancestors did.” Tony doesn't answer. Loki thinks about something for a while, but ultimately decides to speak: “I was thinking about changing that. Building a proper seidr school.”

“Seidr academy?” he proposes and Loki smiles.

“Seidr academy,” she agrees. “I like that. So, building a proper school, where everyone will be able to learn. No one will be rejected because of their low status or,” she winces. “... the wrong gender. Then we can finally stop depending on workers from other Realms to do everything for us.”

“Sounds like a great idea.”

“I got it from you,” she admits. That's not entirely true, she already thought about it in Old Asgard, while disguised as Odin, but she wasn't sure if it's even possible. Being with Tony and around Midgardian schools granted her necessary momentum. “From that time you showed me University of Oslo. It was the most beautiful thing I've seen. And I want something like that in Asgard.”

And she even made a start, asking Eir, Heidrun and Forseti to seek out willing people and train them in their respective crafts. And, to avoid being accused of favoritism, she allowed Arnar to teach some men strategy, on condition that Ulfrun, Heimdall and Brunnhilde will contribute to lessons. Even Gullaug surrounded herself with a group of apprentices supporting her in her duties. Of course, she'll need much more to make a proper school. She'll probably have to somehow lure the teachers from other Realms. Provide them with... a place, to start. Materials. Competitive salary would be good. And students...

“If you can make it work.” Svana says doubtfully. It hurts Loki that after everything the girl's still not fully convinced by the queen's ideas. Oh, she doesn't mind, she even agrees with some of them, most notably those regarding gender roles. But she knows Asgard too well to expect others to be the same. And to be fair, Loki is not sure herself. But damn it, she has to try. It's time for a change – if not now, then when? And worst case scenario, they may still use the building as an armory or something.

“Ah, we'll see,” Loki smiles sheepishly, then turns to Aeilif, smooching her nose. “And what do you think, little one? Do you want to learn seidr? Do you even know who you king is?”

Aeilif turns her big blue eyes at queen and pulls the string of beads she's been chewing on from her mouth.

“Yo...” she babbles. “Ghi.”

Loki freezes and looks up to meet equally shocked gaze of Svana. Did she just say...?

“Yoki!” repeats Aeilif and then, apparently proud of herself starts repeating. “Yoki, yoki, yoki.”

“Oh, my little treasure.” Loki pulls the baby from Svana's grip, still stumped and plants a kiss on her forehead, making Aeilif laugh and gurgle in approval. Loki wants to get up and dance in joy. Finally! Finally someone acknowledged her! “When you grow up, I'm going to make you a princess. I'll take you to the palace, dress you in gold and blue and give you all the ponies in the world.”

“Um, yeah,” comes from behind and Loki remembers that Tony is still sitting at her side. The goddess looks at him: he seems embarrassed by their outburst and her mirth wanes, but doesn't disappear. “So, what happens when your kids are hundred years old?”

Loki straightens and becomes serious, but she still holds the infant close to her chest. Aeilif's too precious to let her go.

“Why, it's the first birthday.” Tony doesn't comment, so she thinks that Thor has already explained that Asgardians celebrate birthday every century. “There's usually a feast, the kid is showered in gifts and then they reach first stage of adulthood.”

“First stage?”

“Well, we stop physically growing.”

“And we reach sexual maturity,” slips Svana, making Tony cough nervously and send a meaningful look towards children, who are left to their own devices now that the song time is over.

Loki has learned enough about mortals to know that they are usually pretty reserved while talking about sex, especially around children. Silly beings. Isn't it a nature of life to reproduce and spread? Kids need to learn about it and the sooner they start, the better chances that the knowledge will sink in. Of course, they need to learn it the proper way. About real men and real women. Other things are never mentioned – unless as an insult.

But now Tony's frowning hilariously and Loki decides to have some fun at his expense. So she nods solemnly and carries on the subject.

“Yes. But it varies from person to person.”

Svana apparently agrees with her, because she gladly joins, with mischievous smile dancing on her lips.

“I was ninety-six when that happened.”

“I was hundred and twenty.” Loki turns toward her and asks: “What does that say about us?”

“That I'm easy and you're stunted?”

Loki tries to scowl, but her lips curl upwards. A wretched thing. If anyone else said something like this, she would probably have them beheaded. But Svana can enjoy certain privileges.

“Why would you say that?” the queen asks, cocking her head and pressing hand to her chest, feigning hurt. Svana props her hands on her hips and starts taunting her playfully:

“Why, aren't you suppose to come from the frost giants? You don't look like a giant to me.”

The ease with which she talks about Loki's parentage would be stunning, if the queen didn't witness it many times before. Mostly in bedroom. She wonders if the girl has some kind of monster fetish, but if so, she can hardly complain.

Though, to be fair, she didn't hear anyone teaching kids the old stories of Jötnar. Perhaps adults learned to be cautious with what they say. Or the stories aren't as popular as she was led to believe. The queen's too self-conscious to even think that no one may care.

For now, Loki stabs Svana's ribs with her finger.

“I'm giant in all the right places,” she says lowly, seductively, making the girl burst into laughter.

“Uh, so,” Stark interrupts them. His eyes are shifting between Loki and Svana, as if trying to figure out what their relationship is. Good thing he doesn't ask, because Loki's not sure if she would able to answer. Tony stated that their relationship is noncommittal, but would he mind her sleeping around? With a woman? Who knew? Midgardians seem more open towards same-sex and open relationships, but Loki knows that opinions are one thing, but feelings are another. So she prefers to keep Tony and Svana separate for now. “What about that adulthood?”

The queen's glad to continue, but mischievous smile isn't leaving her lips.

“Asgardians are not considered truly mature until they are thousand years old. Until that, boys are recruited as einherjar and must live in barracks. Girls stay with their parents, learning seidr and helping with Asgard's maintenance. Only when they reach one thousand years, then they can start their own families, leave the army, practice trade and so on. And participate in local Things.”

“Well, we can marry earlier,” protests Svana. She would know: her parents wanted to wed her when she was five hundred, in vain hope of taming her unwomanly tendencies. But she fought and won and now stories of her victories fill many of their shared evenings.

“Yes,” Loki nods. “But having children is discouraged until you're proper age. Unless you're royalty.”

She feels the pang of pain in her heart. Tony shifts uncomfortably to look at her, but whatever joke he wanted to says dies when he sees her face.

“Why so?” he asks. Loki swallows heavily.

“Well... We, Asgardians, are warriors by nature. It is not uncommon... that not all lineages of royal family survive until the real adulthood. So preserving them takes priority over decency.”

“Wait...” Tony must have realized something because the state of surprise slowly creeps on his face. “Do you have children?”

“Had.”

And with that, her fun time ends. Unwittingly she presses Aeilif closer to her chest, but in her mind she sees other children. Only the touch of Stark's hand brings her back to reality.

“I'm... sorry,” he says softly, seeming more uncertain than really regretful, but it doesn't matter.

Loki sighs.

“It's all right,” she says, with a soft, bitter smile. “It was a long time ago.”

It frightens her how easy it is to say that now. But it's true: it happened so long ago, their absence feels more natural than their presence ever could.

“So you got over it?” asks the mortal, eying her carefully and she has to admit that yes, she got over it.

“As much as it's possible. Something like that stays with you forever. But I have to live with it, don't I? Life moves on and I... had enough time to come to terms with the loss.”

For a while they sit in silence, before Tony coughs and asks his next question.

“Where's their father?”

Loki frowns then opens her mouth, but shuts them before saying something stupid. She knows what he means.

“We don't speak.”

That's technically true – except it's her wife, Sigyn, who has left Asgard more than two centuries ago, to live with her family on Vanaheim. Of course, their relationship was nothing but cold indifference ever since Vali and Narfi died, so it matters little.

“Um, yeah...” Tony stammers, visibly uncomfortable. “I, uh, I think I have to go, See you later, babe?”

Loki nods, barely paying man any attention. Over his voice, she can almost hear her boys laughing.

* * *

Finally Svana gathers the courage to ask dwarfs for work and they send her to assemble some delicate mechanisms. Soon after, other Asgardians join her, eager to have a small part in building a new home. Loki doesn't mind – as long as it keeps the boredom, and a shadow of what Svana called 'stupid thoughts', at bay.

But on the other hand, with a new hobby, the girl barely has time for her queen. It's not just a matter of entertainment, Svana provided Loki with invaluable information regarding mood in the camp. Not everyone is eager to join the forge. Reserves of whalebone are running thin and although dwarfs agreed to give Asgardian some metal and tools, Loki feels that the boredom is likely to strike again. And with that: disillusionment and discontent.

One day she actually complains about it to Tony and to her surprise, he seem sympathetic. Next morning he disappears and comes back few hours later with a portable cinema. They set it up inside a big tent and near the forge, where heat emanating from the furnaces keeps winter cold at bay. Tony even supplies them with thousands of shiny discs containing, as he puts it: 'movies, theater plays, concerts, operas, circus performances, sport, Chinese ballet, nature documentaries and everything.' Then he teaches few men to operate the machinery. Loki's not convinced, but decides to give it a go. It won't make matters worse, will it?

But Stark is not done and next day provides all Asgardians with what he calls 'tablets'. He only needs Loki's help in creating interface, because he's painfully aware that despite their perfect speech, none of the Asgardians can actually read in English. So they spend half a day translating everything into a different alphabet, then another half trying to explain to people why anyone would want to watch videos of cats or call someone from afar if they can just go meet them in person. Loki feels that at some point Tony's ready to give up, but then he gets a new idea and introduces Asgardian to a dark, cruel world of gaming. That does the trick. Loki only hopes that the novelty won't wear off before they finish construction.

* * *

The work continues slowly. New engines are being build and installed, the construction rises higher and higher above the sea level and for a while everyone seems happy.

Until one day, in the middle of delivering a new batch of asteroids Loki feels a tingling in her fingers and before she can do anything her left arm falters, the Tesseract goes dark and the boulder she was hauling falls to the ground, almost crushing workers awaiting it. Dwarfs curse and look at her in anger, but she barely notices them: her arm is shaking now and she can't control it. The Tesseract falls and she catches it in her inter-dimensional pocket just before it touches the ground. Then she turns around and runs to her chamber.

Eir finds her soon after, lying on the bed. Loki's whole body is shaking, not as much as a moment before, but enough to make her teeth rattling.

“What's wrong?” the healer asks sitting on the side of the bed.

“N-nothing.” Loki turns away, but Eir flips her back with no problem. She has known the queen her entire life and can take liberties in doing what no one else can. Still, Loki does nothing but avoid her gaze.

“Few people almost died today. Don't tell me it's nothing.”

“But no one d-died.”

“Loki...”

A warning note sounds in her voice and she doesn't need to say anything more. The sheer tone is enough to bring Loki back to her childhood, make her feel like a baby being scolded for hiding her father's spear. Defenseless. And she hates it... But she can't resist the sentiment that hides behind it.

“I'm j-just t-tired,” she tries one last time, knowing it's not going to work. The woman can be stubborn at times and she's well versed in Loki's rubbish.

“Loki, you can't lie to me. I know you too well.”

The queen sighs, a tear rolls down her cheek, but her tormentor seems unmoved.

“I d-don't know what that is,” Loki admits reluctantly.

“But it's not the first time it's happening?”

Loki shakes her head.

“It's n-nothing, really. Mostly h-happens at night. And ther-re's usually a t-tingling just before it starts s-so I can finish whatever I'm d-doing and go and hide.”

“So what happened today?”

“I don't know. It just... happened too fast.”

“When did it start?” Loki doesn't answer. “Come on, Loki. I can't help you until I know what happened.”

“I didn't ask for help.”

“You're getting it anyway. I'm a royal healer. And too much depends on you now, we can't let you destroy yourself.”

“I'm not destroying myself. I'll be fine.”

“You don't seem fine to me. Nor to those dwarfs you almost crushed.” The queen whimpers, but doesn't respond. “Come on. When did it start?”

“On Sakaar,” the queen's tone is even more reluctant than before. Eir sighs exasperatedly.

“And what happened on Sakaar?” she asks and there's almost no trace of impatience in her voice.

“Nothing.”

The answers comes too quickly, but it's too late to fix it. Eir knows. And sure enough, she sighs and doesn't even bother pretending.

“All right, what has he done?”

“Nothing,” repeats Loki, once again too slow to realize that she should wonder who the healer is talking about. She can't focus though, her mind feels like aspic. She wants to sleep. She's usually better after a long rest. Unless she has nightmares, but even then at least the trembling is gone in the morning.

“Loki...” Eir sighs again. “It's all right. You can tell me. He's not here. And it's not lightning, this much I can tell. Lightning doesn't produce that kind of reaction.”

Loki keeps quiet for a while. Eir doesn't press but she's not going away either. The queen knows she won't leave until she knows what she needs to, even if she has to wrestle with Loki to get it. She's just like that. So Loki gives in.

“They had this device they used to quell slaves. I don't know how it worked. It affected Thor too, so I don't think it used electricity.”

“And Thor struck you with that?”

“I kind of deserved it...”

Eir hums disapprovingly and Loki doesn't have to turn her face to know that the healer purses her lips and looks at her. The Trickster knows this look. It is usually enough to make her feel guilty, even if she hasn't done anything wrong. Eir has probably learned it from Frigga, since they were the only people in the entire world who could pull it off.

“Is there anybody who could tell me more about this device?” healer asks. “One of the aliens? Or Brunnhilde?”

“No...” Loki moves uneasily. “Not her...”

“I'm asking her.”

Loki tries to protest, but Eir sends her one of her looks and the queen falls back onto her bed. The healer leaves just to return a moment later with Valkyrie at her side. She must have been nearby. Loki wonders if all Asgardians have gathered outside of the Thingstead, waiting to see if she died. That would make them happy.

“Loki said she was struck with a device you used to punish slaves,” Eir asks with arms crossed and unimpressed look. “Can you tell me more about it?”

Brunnhilde shoots the queen a worrying look and Loki wants to hide under her bed. She doesn't need pity! And she doesn't trust anyone but Eir can feel genuine sympathy towards her. She shouldn't trust Eir either, she thinks, but can't bring herself to it. The healer tended to Loki so many times, after wars, fights, rebellions, hunts, quarrels with Thor and accidents with magic. Thinking that even she could do it all just because of her sense of duty, would be hard to accept. Still, right now, Loki would prefer both women to just go away and leave her be.

“It's harmless,” says Valkyrie. “As far as I know, all it can do at most is to knock someone out. Unless it's been left on for a long time. Thor didn't mention you were captured...”

“Thor was the one who did it,” says Eir before Loki can open her mouth. Brunnhilde's eyes go wide as she sucks in the air in shock. Then she looks back at Loki.

“Wow. You guys are... special.”

“They have complicated relationship,” confirms Eir, again not letting Loki speak. “Is there something else that could make it dangerous?”

“He left it on,” Loki finally manages to speak and eyes of both women turn to her. “He put it on me and left it on.”

“For how long?” asks Valkyrie. Loki responds with a bitter smile.

“I don't know. Until aliens came and rescued me?”

Brunnhilde sucks in the air again and curses. She curses long and elaborately and Loki can't help but feel impressed. In palace she could only overhear single words uttered by the lowest ranking servants and only when they thought no one from the royal family was around. She could learn a lot from someone like Valkyrie.

“You should be dead,” the warrior concludes. “Or not. You arrived in Asgard minutes after us, so it couldn't be too long. But if you were to stay there...”

“I know.”

“You know, yet you're still here,” scolds Eir. “I sometimes wonder if you even want to live. All right. Take your shirt off.”

“What?”

“I want to see what he's done.”

Loki moans, but obeys. There's no point arguing. Her shirt slides, revealing far too perfect skin. Eir crosses her arms and gives the queen a stern look.

“Loki, you're not fooling anyone. Off with that spell.”

Sorceress bites her lips. She uses the spell for a reason, but she knows that the healer will not yield The only thing Loki can achieve is to make the process longer and even more humiliating. So she waves her hand and an illusion concealing her look dispels. Behind her, she can hear Eir and Brunnhilde gasping in shock.

“You call that nothing?!”

“It's not all Thor,” she pleads.

She knows how it looks. She saw it all in the palace mirrors, right after she was done with Odin. Years after it happened... and yet her body was still a mass of scars. Holes, cuts, burns and bites, they were all there, along with the ones she couldn't name but remembered well how they were done. It made her sick. Thinking about it made her sick, so she covered her whole body with illusion, made her skin as smooth and perfect as she could. And never looked at it again.

The healer sits at her side, mumbling curses then puts her fingers to a mark Loki knows is there, above her right shoulder blade. The newest one. She localized it with her fingers on few occasions, but never looked at it. Now she feels warmth emanating from Eir's fingers as she traces the marks, murmuring spells. After a while the hand disappears and magic spikes, as the healer reaches to her pocket dimension. Loki looks above her shoulder to see Eir preparing a peculiar amulet made of single piece of amethyst. The queen recognizes it as a healing aid, but cannot identify runes carved into its surface. Healing magic was never her specialty. Soon though, the healer removes it from Loki's sight and puts it against her shoulder, over the scar. With her free hand Eir unrolls a piece of pinkish membrane, which she then puts on top of the amulet. Loki knows that the membrane is a living organism and upon touching her skin it releases thousands of microscopic strands, burying them in her flesh, fastening whatever was placed between them in place. The only way to remove it now is with a spell.

“Now I kinda wonder if I did the right thing coming with Thor...” starts Valkyrie. Loki looks above her shoulder again to see the warrior's eyes glued to the place where her scar would be.

“We saved Asgard,” the queen states. Behind her, Eir sighs then starts talking, without interrupting her work.

“Thor isn't a bad person. He doesn't find joy in tormenting others or anything like that. He's just self-centered. He doesn't care about people around him or pain he can cause them. And many follow him, because he's brave and bright, a real man, son of Odin. They don't know that when it comes to worst, he won't even stop to mourn their loss. Here.” She pats Loki's back where she finished securing amulet. “The only real damage was done for your nerves but I can't heal that without the soulforge. We can order one from dwarfs, but Norns know how long it will take to have it build.”

“We have no money to buy it.”

The woman frowns.

“I'm sure you could spare some metal...”

“No,” the queen cuts. “We need... We need to focus on the construction. The sooner we finish, the better. Then we can think about the soulforge. And other... things.”

Eir gives out an exasperated huff and crosses her arms.

“Then I can't do anything else for you. My amulet will relieve some symptoms, but it won't heal you. In the meantime, you shouldn't strain yourself. Getting yourself killed or crippled won't do anyone any good. For better or worse, Asgard needs you and you better be ready to do what's necessary. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“I doubt that. But I can't convince you otherwise. You're as stubborn as Thor. And while we're at it, you can't let him treat you like that forever. Loki,” she puts her hand on queen's shoulder and turns her again toward herself, “I think you need to leave Asgard.”

The shock is so great that for a while the queen can't find words to say.

“I beg you pardon?” she stammers finally.

“For your own good!” The healer, unable to control herself, stands up and starts pacing around the chamber. Her face is full of emotions, but the queen is not sure if she understands them. “Can't you see what's happening? It's only getting worse! He's getting worse! And Frigga's not here to stop him anymore!”

“We're fine now,” Loki tries to protest, but Eir stops her before she can finish.

“You call this fine?!”

“We're working on it...”

“Loki.” She sits back and takes Loki's hand. “I'm worried about you. Relationship between you two has not been best recently, I am not the one to point whose fault that was...”

“We're fine now!”

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Thor doesn't care about you. Never did and never will. It's not your fault, it's just who he is. And nothing you do can change it. You say you are fine now, but how long do you think it will last? How long before you fall out again? And what do you think will happened then?! Are you really going to wait for him to kill you?!”

“Then what do I do, Eir? Where do I go?” Loki stands up as well, hands clenched in fists and determined look fixed on the healer. “I lost almost everything, Thor is the only thing I have left. I can't fight him, I know that now. I can't make him care. And I can't let him go. I can't be alone again. I need to, I need to... matter... to someone.”

Eir shakes her head, still looking at Loki, but now more sad than angry. The queen bows her head and presses fists to her eyes, trying to stop tears from flowing. She wants to howl, but no sound can leave her tightened throat.

“Loki, you don't matter to him.”

“Then where do I go from here?” queen mewls. Eir comes closer and puts her hands on Loki's shoulders, making her lift her head and look at the healer. There's a worry in Eir's eyes, almost mother-like. But she's not Frigga. If it comes to worst, she won't stand between Loki and Thor. The queen has to remember that.

“There are billions of worlds out there,” the healer starts. “Innumerable living beings.”

“Some of them much worse than Thor...”

“There are also better ones. Who's to say that you can't find what you're looking for?” Loki doesn't answer, so she continues: “You can start by going to Vanaheim and finishing your education. Remember, you always wanted to study...”

The remainder of her old dreams sends a pang of pain through her heart. Loki pushes it away and shakes her head.

“Father never let me...”

“He's not here to stop you anymore.”

“But it's too late. I'm too old. Besides, what is there to learn for a master?”

“You're only master in Asgard and no offense, but Asgardian have no idea about seidr. We taught you as much as we could, but there are still skills even you don't know you can possess. If only you dared to reach for them...” Loki doesn't say anything and Eir doesn't press. She brushes her fingers across queen's face. When she speaks again, her voice is soft again and the resemblance to Frigga brings tears to Loki's eyes. “You are still young. The best years are still ahead of you if you let them happen. At least promise me you'll think of it. And take some rest. Stay in bed for a few days. Don't strain yourself and try not to use any magic.”

Loki nods, but still doesn't say anything. Eir looks her in the eyes for a while longer, then pats her on a healthy arm and leaves, with Brunnhilde striding behind with lips pursed and strange look of apprehension in her eyes. When the door locks, Loki falls back on her bed and sighs.

She's not sleepy anymore, her brain buzzing with conflicting emotions. Normally she drowns them in work or reading, but now she can't bring herself to go out and Heidrun has the cube. But she can't... She can't deal with them now. She looks around the room, looking for something to occupy her. Then her eyes fall on an object she rarely uses: a stereo tower brought by Stark. Midgardian music is barbaric, especially the one her lover fancy, but it is something to distract her. And the remote control is lying on her bedstand. So she reaches for it and turns the device on. As usual, what greets her is a cacophony of distorted noises, which she quickly changes. She flips through the channels, not really expecting to find anything worthy, just bearable, but finally she does come across a song that catches her interest.

 _Mother will never understand_  
_Why you had to leave_  
_But the answers you seek_  
_Will never be found at home_  
_The love that you need_  
_Will never be found at home_

She bursts into tears.

* * *

But the next day Loki returns to the construction zone, with Heidrun at her side.

“We need to continue work,” she says in response to Eir's scolding look. “Heidrun will keep me safe.”

Eir doesn't answer. Instead she asks to be send to Vanaheim and the next day she returns with two other sorceresses. Seeing them brings a sting in Loki's heart. They are Hnoss and Gersemi, daughters of Freyja.

Centuries ago Loki would sneak up through castle's secret passages to spy on them studying magic with their mother. Freyja discovered him, of course, but instead of scolding, she invited him to join them. She would always tease that normal boys his age would sneak up to spy on bathing girls, but unlike Thor and his goons, whose jest were always laced with contempt, she never let him feel anything but her deepest sympathy. When she died, two centuries ago, her daughters obtained permission to continue their studies in Vanaheim. It's probably then that Loki realized, that despite her royal treatment and deep friendship with both him and Frigga, Freyja was nothing but a prisoner in Asgard.

Just like Loki.

It was all good as long as he did as he was told. Fulfill his duties, follow orders and don't expect anything in return. Oh, he remembers how he cried and begged Odin to let him go, to continue his studies in place where such pursuits were esteemed, rather than condemned. “There is nothing for me in Asgard,” he cried. “Thor is your heir. What do you need me for?” Yet his pleas had fallen on deaf ears and he had to watch as his only friends leave while he stayed behind, succumbing to duty that was never to be his.

Until they returned.

“We heard you were in trouble,” says Hnoss. The sisters are almost identical: with perfectly sculpted, heart-shaped faces and hair like pure gold. The only distinctive features are the eyes: Hnoss' are pale blue like springtime sky, while Gersemi's are deep green, like a forest grove, shadowed by long eyelashes. “But no one wanted to talk to us, even Frigga. And Heimdall wouldn't let us into Asgard.”

“Well,” Gersemi slips, looking at her sister with a scold. “He certainly wouldn't let us in after you called him a son of thousand men and a lame goat.”

Hnoss scoffs, feigning hurt and retorts:

“Do you know who his parents are?”

Gersemi chuckles softly and shakes her head, without uttering a word, so her sister returns to her tale.

“For a while we tried to find another way into Asgard. We spent days and nights in the library, looking for half-forgotten paths that could lead us there. But to no avail. And then... We heard of your death.” Her face twists, taking on a pained expression. “We didn't want to believe it, but with everything that happened... With Frigga's gone and you disgraced... We thought that perhaps it was for the best.”

“We cried a river, Loki,” says Gersemi, putting her hand on Loki's. “We missed you so much.”

And Loki missed them too. From Odin's throne in Asgard he would sometimes watch them in Vanaheim, but they seemed to move on, never mentioning their old friend. He thought they forgot about him, built new lives and were happy.

Perhaps that would be for the best.

But since their return, all three sorceresses accompany Loki at every moment. Hnoss and Gersemi talk a lot about their studies and Loki feels another sting in her heart. She knows it's probably a part of Eir's plot to get her out of Asgard, but she can't bring herself to hold it against her.

* * *

They are right, she realizes in the evening. She sits in her room, brushing her hair in front of a mirror – a real one, courtesy of Tony. Her left arm is shaking a bit, but Hnoss and Gersemi almost bullied her to abandon work and stole the Tesseract. Even in that regard Eir was right: there's still a lot she could learn.

Coming back was a mistake. Believing Thor was a mistake. It was hard not to, looking into those big, blue eyes and seeing his wide, bright smile, promising that everything's going to be all right. But it was nothing – few sweet words, a false praise, an empty sentiment. He still treated Loki like dirt, he would still ditch her and leave her to die – he did! – without batting an eye.

But in a way his indifference hurt even more than his hatred and she would do anything to never face it again. Oh, she realizes how pathetic that is – how much, despite her own words, she needs him and the stupid sentiment that connects them. That's why she could never bring herself to strike with her full force, why she couldn't watch that dark elf pummeling to death, why she came back again and again, like a beaten dog, trying desperately to prove her worth.

And she underestimated him. She never expected him to be anything but a dumb brute, and now, look how much he grew. Lying, manipulating, using Loki's own sentiments against her. In a grim way, she is proud. But on the other hand, if Thor could best her in her own game what is left for her to do? What worth can she prove, when he's perfectly capable of doing everything that she can – and more?

So she tried to trick him one last time, suggesting they should never see each other again, hoping with her whole heart that against everything he will object, he will fight for her.

_“That's what you always wanted.”_

No, you fool, that's exact opposite of what Loki wanted. Of what she screamed into his face when they fought on Bifröst, just few years ago. Did he even heard that? Did he care?

No, of course not. He never cared, he was too selfish for that. What Thor felt for Loki wasn't love, it was... convenience. It was only good when Loki did what Thor wanted. Otherwise, she could rot in Hell.

And then she realizes that it didn't matter if she returned or not. Thor will never give her the kind of love that she wants. And she... she won't settle for less. Not for long, anyway.

And that's the moment Stark decides to step in.

“Hi babe, you all right?” the man asks, smiling widely, totally oblivious to the venomous look she shoots him through the mirror. Just like Thor, too full of himself to notice anyone around him. She feels the anger rising in her chest.

“What do you want?” she spits then picks up on the brushing she doesn't remember stopping. But her movements are faster, angrier now and she feels a strands of hair being ripped from her scalp. She doesn't care.

“Um, check out on you? Haven't seen you in few days, are you okay?”

“What do you care?” She finally turns to him and he stands there, startled. “Why do you even come here? What do you want from me?!”

“Nothing? I just like being with you, what's wrong...”

“You like being with me!” she stops him mid-sentence. “You don't even know me!”

“Um, I think I got a pretty good idea in the past few months...” The surprise on his face gives way to annoyance and he puts his hands in his pockets, stubbornly refusing to step down and leave, but that only makes Loki more furious. She barely stops herself from throwing her brush at him.

“What if I lied to you? About everything. About who I am and what I do. Didn't you hear what they say? I'm only tricks and games. That person you fell for doesn't even exist!”

“I don't care what they say.” He crosses his arms and stares at her stubbornly. “I think I spent enough time with you to get a pretty good idea of who you are.”

“You're a fool.” She turns back to her mirror. “Get out of my sight, I'm tired of your insolence.”

“Uh, yeah, no. I'm not a valet you can just shoo and...”

“I said get out!”

She turns back in a flash and before she can think, she waves a spell and throws it at him. Threads of magic wrap around the man and disappear, dragging him along. Later she will hope that they only took him safely to his tower. For now, she doesn't care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That thing with ridiculous doodles on manuscripts is totally true. Well, maybe not fire-breathing arses (that's from an old poem), but legged or winged phalluses are pretty common in medieval art.
> 
> On a sadder note, that thing with whales dying after swallowing plastic is also true. Seriously, mankind, get your shit together.
> 
> Seidr is old Norse word for magic. In my story I follow Thor's words from the first movie, where he says that for his people magic and science are one and the same. So seidr is any kind of knowledge that usually (but not always ) also include some form of dark energy manipulation (i.e. magic). "Sithi" has nothing to do with Jedi, but according to wikipedia article on Skern Runestone means "seidr worker". I found it while looking for some gender-neutral word for sorcerer. There's seidkona (magic woman) and seidmann (magic man), but they were to... gender-specific. Sithi seems neutral enough, so I went with it.
> 
> Lot of people say that Infinity Stones are too powerfull to be wielded, that there are consequences, yadda yadda, but you know what? Strange is wielding Eye of Agamoto pretty fine and I refuse to believe that Loki's weaker than Strange. So he's basically making the Tesseract his bitch. And there'll be no consequences because I say so.
> 
> Thula is sort of a poem, with mostly mnemonic function. I thought it's appropriate tool for learning. Langeleik is old Norwegian instrument. You can find out how it sounds on youtube.
> 
> The song that makes Loki cry is "Smalltown Boy" by Bronsky Beat.
> 
> On even sadder note, I'm a bit stuck with chapter 6. I'm not sure how much I want to dwell on the past events (on one hand I feel like they've been discussed to death, on the other it pisses me off that they're completely ignored in Thor: Ragnarok and its fandom). I'm also not sure how much I want to engage the other Avengers. And I feel like I should elaborate on Hnoss and Gersemi. If you have any thoughts, let me know.


	5. Return of the king

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everything falls apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break. Chapter six refused to cooperate and grew so much that I had to divide it. Then I had a break, wrote three short stories, two of which I may publish at some point, but third one proved to be a complete disaster. Then I sat down to DotG and finished the offending chapter in one evening.
> 
> Anyway, next chapter is pretty much ready (except for one scene I just send to my beta), so hopefully I will publish it next week. Chapter seven is also ready, but not betaed yet. Chapters eight and nine need re-reading and beta'ing, but they're short so hopefuly I'll get them done while my beta works on ch. 7.
> 
> Also, sorry for not responding to your comments. I'm not sure of there's a point in responding to the ones posted few months ago, but be sure that I treasure every single one.

And then comes the interview. It's for an international TV, not the first and not the last and no one expects it to go wrong. The interviewer, Tony's old friend whatwashername, is a bit antagonistic towards her guest, but no more than usual and Leikný takes it with a patience of a saint.

Until the question.

“Are you aware that some Asgardians are dissatisfied with your rule as a queen?”

Leikný stiffens, but her face remains impenetrable. She is lounging in a big red chair, dressed in black suit with pants, green blouse and flat shoes. Simple, yet elegant, with no visible jewelery or insignia, but at the same time surrounded by such an aura of royal authority, that no one can doubt her regal status. She looks at the interviewer cautiously before replying.

“I'm not a queen,” she corrects. “I'm ruling as a regent until the return of our righteous king, Thor Odinson.”

That does nothing to baffle the interviewer, who almost immediately shoots her next question.

“And what will happen when he comes back?”

“I'll abdicate and he will take over,” Leikný answers simply. The interviewer returns regent's gaze without flinching.

“Still, that doesn't seem like the perfect solution for your people,” she presses as calmly as before, maybe a tad more hostile

“Why not?” Leikný finally shifts, but only to adjust her position. “They love him. They want nothing more than for him to return and take over.” A bout of bitterness sounds in her voice, but it's the only sign that the conversation has any effect on her. Her face is still blank and her eyes cold, but calm. The interviewer also shifts slightly and looks quickly into her notes before asking the next question.

“What's your opinion on democracy?”

“Pardon?” Leikný cocks her head and frowns, as if trying to remember what that particular word means. Her conversationalist is quick to explain.

“Rule of the people.”

The regent scoffs.

“That cannot work,” she says with utmost certainty.

“It works on Earth.”

“A world torn with wars, exploitation and inequity,” regent taunts. “No, thank you. Odin singlehandedly managed to unite five different worlds under one rule and brought about millenia of peace and prosperity. Let me know when you'll do the same with your rule of the people.”

“Our system may not be perfect, but it was designed to fight exploitation and inequality. The sheer definition of which seems to be a single family living in a golden castle, when their people...”

“When their people are provided with everything they may need.” Finally, the regent loses her composure and stops the other mid-sentence. Leikný's face is dark now, frozen in a ominous and eerily familiar expression and her fists clenched over armrests. “They don't need to worry about roofs above their heads, meat in their pots or enemies falling on their heads...”

“Until one of the Odin's old enemies decides to take revenge and their whole world is literally blown to pieces.”

Leikný shuts her mouth with almost audible click. She looks at the interviewer with obvious anger now and her lips twitch, barring her teeth. For a moment she looks like she's about to jump at the woman's throat, but then she collects herself, her face smooths into impenetrable mask and she leans back in her chair.

“I made my decision,” she states finally, voice calm but autocratic. “I will rule Asgard until the rightful king returns. And if my own people want to remove me from the throne, they will have to do it themselves. Limb by limb.”

* * *

And before end credits finish rolling, Tony gets a call from ex-directory number.

“It's Loki,” says Natasha, not bothering with greetings. Tony closes his eyes and counts to ten in his thoughts.

“Uh, hello? And what?”

“That woman, regent of Asgard. It's Loki in disguise.”

He sighs, then pinches the bridge of his nose. Now that's absurd, he thinks. Living underground and waiting for the enemies to come must've gotten into Nat's brain. And yet hearing it brings him a strange inkling.

“Loki's dead,” he tries to explain, but his certainty falters. “And a man.”

And very much like Leikný. Tall, dark, beauti... Dangerous. Green-eyed, apparently. Plus, Thor never mentioned having a sister. Sure, they might have not gotten along, but that's not a reason to completely disregard her existence, right?

“They probably faked his death and created a new identity to help him hide. The question is, if Thor is in it or not...”

“Probably not,” he muses, feeling the chill creeping down his spine then starts recalling: “You weren't there when Thor lost his shit. Apparently Asgard is centuries behind on LGBT rights. So no, I don't think he could arrange something like that.”

Even for his supposedly beloved brother...

“That only makes it worse.”

“Yeah. If that's true. What even made you think it's Loki?”

“Why, you never thought that she's too good to be true? Building new home for her people, giving away advanced tech, feeding poor children in Africa. Did she adopt a puppy yet?”

No, Tony doesn't think that because he knows she's not as perfect as she appears to the public.

But on the other hand...

_You don't even know me!_

_They have the right to hate me._

_You'd hate me too if you knew me..._

Natasha's voice breaks his trance.

“I'm sending you a file.”

“What is it?”

“A facial recognition. It's ninety-nine percent match.”

He can't even pretend he's surprised that The Others (he can't bring himself to call them otherwise, he just can't) are watching Asgardians. The refugees may be welcome, but their super-human abilities make humans believe they can easily turn into a threat.

Tony wonders how close they managed to get. Not face to face, he would know. Would he? He can totally see Natasha hiding behind that photostatic veil and sneaking in among the journalists. And even if not, watching Leikný in TV or even through the spying satellites that are set to Asgardian camp should give them enough information.

He wonders if Leikný knows. And he certainly hopes that The Others won't do anything from their misplaced sense of self-righteous duty.

“Okay, fine.” He sighs, resigned. “I'll have a look.”

“Thank you. Tony.”

She hangs up.

* * *

This is useless. Tony looks at the tablet with two pictures opened, side by side. Loki and Leikný. They're almost identical. They got a lip-job, changed their hairstyle. Wiped off that manic grin. And the eyes... On every photo from the time of the invasion, Loki's eyes are blue-ish, except for the ones taken after the battle, after the Hulk beat him to a pulp. Because then they were green.

He feels sick.

And Loki looked like shit. Frankly, he seemed better after the whole ordeal than when he first came to Earth. Leikný wasn't kidding when she talked about a dark place.

But how could she even know if talking to him after the arrest was forbidden?

And Thor – could Thor be a part of it? He said Loki died but he didn't seem terribly distraught. It's true that their relationship wasn't at its the best when it happened, but Tony would expect him to express at least a little bit of sorrow. After all this talk about how inseparable they were in their youth and how much he missed that. But Thor was homophobic – why would he show more tolerance for trans person? Even if that person was his sibling?

Fuck, scratch it. Who's to say that Thor has anything to do with it? Thor isn't here. Leikný is. And those people – Tony only knows what they told him, but what if those are lies too? Oh, he saw the children, women and all that. He also saw the flying fucking fortress they are building right under his nose. Sure, from what the dwarfs told him, the fortress has an impressive defense system but not much in terms of offense. Big shields, energy fields, some guns, but only aiming upwards. No bombs or napalm sprays. No big-ass planet-cutting lasers.

But of course, those could be lies too.

On the other hand, if it is Loki and he really is up to something, why didn't he collect an army or build his weapon in safe place and just summon it here, like the last time? Coming to Earth, counting on mortals' mercy and building a weapon to use against them right there seems like the dumbest idea ever. And they have no portal devices, Tony is sure of that (after all, he might be enchanted, but he isn't an idiot). The Tesseract itself is able to reliably move like, what, ten people at a time? Not an army, that's for sure.

What is his game here?

Tony feels panic creeping up on him. If Nat's suspicion is true...

How many nights he spent laying at his greatest enemy's side, completely exposed, utterly defenseless, butt-fucking-naked? How many opening has he left for Loki to strike him for good?

But the panic vanishes as quick as it appeared. Because despite everything, Leikný did... nothing.

And she, he – is different. Calmer, for once. Not psychotic. Kinda nice, actually. Of course, she could be faking it, just to gain their trust and fuck, it works like magic.

But there's a certain vulnerability to her, that Tony's not sure he can associate with the man who tried to enslave his planet nine years ago. No, Loki was arrogant (falsely), overconfident (suicidal) and full of complexes (insecure). Still, he was at least determined to hide his weaknesses.

But perhaps at some point it just became too much. It's been nine years, after all. A lot of things happened, including fucking end of the world (unless it was a lie too). Still, Loki didn't seem like the person who was attached to a place, so the change must've been triggered by something more... personal.

But the only other person Leikný ever talks about is Thor. And Loki hated Thor. Loki stabbed Thor. Loki...

Sacrificed his life to save Thor.

Well, he survived in the end ( _perhaps?_ ), but the Thunderer himself admitted that all it would take was to step aside and watch. So despite everything, Loki did care for Thor.

And Tony can't help but wonder what did Thor do with that care? Because after everything he's heard in the last few months, Tony realizes that he might not be rooting for the right sibling.

It's an uncomfortable thought. And it forces him to do something he rarely does: confront his own feelings.

Leikný... She is smart, beautiful, kind, generous, wise beyond age, extremely powerful and vulnerable at the same time. She's the person he wants to support and help unlock the potential she doesn't even know she has. It's nice to be someone's hero for a change. With Pepper....

No, Pepper couldn't take it. She loved Tony, but loathed Iron Man and couldn't comprehend that they are one and the same. Leikný accepts both parts of him, but without the mindless zeal of his fans. She supports his engineering by gifting him alien technology, admires his humanitarian efforts and never protest when he has to leave to deal with things as Iron Man. She just takes him whole.

For a moment he feels like an asshole, comparing them like that. It's insulting for both Pepper and to Leikný, but they both have their own kind of worth and Tony loves them both – even Pepper, still, though he knows that things will never work between them.

But Leikný... Leikný is a queen regent of foreign nation – alien nation – and in a way she is as unaccessible as Pepper. Sure, they have fun now. But she has duty to her people and there's probably already some foreign prince she was betrothed to when they were three hundred or something. Their relationship has no future.

But just like with Pepper, Tony can't help wanting it.

And Loki... Loki fascinated him, even before he suspected mind control. While on intellectual level Tony always knew there's a broken heart behind every villain, with Loki he really understood it for the first time. He ached to get the man out for a drink and have an honest talk. Get to know him better, find out the root of his issues... and maybe even help him fix them. But after the battle Thor muzzled Loki and packed him away to Asgard in no time and from then on the only info Tony got came from the tales The Thunderer recounted and they showed very different picture of Loki. Tony couldn't help wondering what pushed the man over the edge. But about that, Thor was surprisingly silent and Tony could only hope he'll get to see the Trickster again and ask him personally. He was even genuinely upset when he heard about god's death.

But if Loki lives...

That means he's been playing Tony for half a year, lying, using him. And Tony isn't sure if he can forgive that.

“FRIDAY,” he says, resigned. “Any luck with translating the Thing meeting?”

“No, sir.”

Of course not. Fucking Allspeak. On record it sounds Germanic, but it's different enough to be completely incomprehensible, even for the most advanced AI. And how is that even possible? He listened to the first Thing-meeting, everyone but him used it. But he was there and to his ears they all sounded English. They even had accents: Leikný cultured, British (so much like Loki), Arnar and Ulfrun Germanic and so on. But on the record it all sounds like gibberish.

He sighs exasperated and props his head on a hand.

“Can you scan all the conversation held in Thingstead and tell me how many times they say word 'Loki',” he asks. His AI takes a moment to calculate.

“Two hundred eighty seven” she says finally.

“Thor?” he tries.

“Five hundred twenty two.”

He hesitates for a moment.

“Odin?”

“Ninety six.”

“Leikný?”

“Three.”

Fuck.

* * *

He doesn't feel comfortable knocking at the door at 177A Bleecker Street. Yet desperate times call for desperate measures. After all, he's already seen aliens falling from the sky, ancient demi-gods from space, artifacts capable of creating ripples in space and best men on Earth turning into certified assholes. His life can't really get stranger than that, right? R-right?

The doors open by themselves, immediately bringing him back to Earth. He gives out an exasperated huff. Some clichés never die, he thinks stepping in.

“Mister Stark.”

He turns to see a tall, dark-haired man with a perfectly groomed beard and an outfit even more ridiculous than what most Asgardians wear (and they have an excuse of being aliens and all). It consists of a loose blue tunic with absurd amount of belts, black pants, leather boots and a red cape – the man even has a 'magical' amulet on his neck, glowing ominously in a low light. He would look like some looser coming from particularly intense LARP session, if not for the streaks of gray hair on his temples and horrible scars on his hands.

“Doctor Strange, I presume,” Tony says. The sorcerer enters the room behind him, gesturing Tony to follow.

“I was actually expecting you. Tea?” The sorcerer sits in a big, red chair and gestures two cups of tea into existence. Tony saw Leikný doing exactly the same thing so many times, that he hardly even registers it. He would still like to know how they actually do it, though.

He doesn't sit, instead starts cruising the room and examining various books and trinkets. It all looks like time stopped somewhere in the middle of the last century. The books look particularly ancient, with leather covers and golden titles in alien languages – how charming! Between them lay scattered archaic scientific and quasi-scientific apparatuses, cabinets filled with exotic bugs and shells, masks, creepy dolls, crystals and... canopic jars? Tony shudders then turns to Strange, who seems unconcerned by his restlessness but is following his every move.

“So, you're, like a doctor of magic?” Tony asks before he can bite his tongue. “Where do they hand such titles, Hogwart?”

“Neurosurgery,” corrects Strange without even a hint of a grudge. “Colombia.”

“Oh.” A-and he feels like an idiot. Disheartened, he finally sits and takes his cup. He sips slowly, careful not to burn his tongue, but the drink is just at the right temperature. Tony's not a connoisseur, but even he has to admit, that's some pretty damn good tea.

He'd kill for a whiskey now.

“So, what brings you here?” asks Strange, apparently deciding that his guest had enough time to make himself comfortable. Stark arches his eyebrow and taunts:

“You said you expected me.”

“I knew you were coming, I wasn't sure why.”

“Any guesses?”

“Certain green-eyed goddess?”

Tony pouts.

“Okay, it wasn't that hard to guess.” He tries to regain his stance, but it only comes out pathetic. So he moves on. “What do you know about her?”

The answer comes so quickly that it catches Tony off guard.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” he repeats, just to make sure. Strange shrugs. His eyes are glued to his guest and that alone would be enough to make almost anyone uncomfortable. He'll have to do better to impress Stark, though.

“Nothing,” the sorcerer confirms. “The only children of Odin were Thor and Loki. There's no mention of a goddess named Leikný in any of the texts, ancient or modern.”

They sit in silence for a moment. Tony hesitates, not sure how much he can let out. He doesn't really know Strange, doesn't know where his priorities lay and what his opinion of Loki – or Leikný – is. And on top of that, he can't help feeling like an idiot just bringing that out. Still, that's what he came here for, isn't it?

“I, uh, actually heard a theory that she is Loki in disguise.”

Strange frowns and thinks for a while before cautiously admitting:

“That's possible.”

Only then Tony lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

“I can't say, I was hoping for a different answer...” he blurts, but Strange only shrugs.

“Loki is a skilled shapeshifter and a notorious trickster. There are attestations of him appearing as a woman. Or female of... different species. And Leikný is shielding herself from my spells.”

“So you were trying to magically spy on her?”

“Yes. It is also my duty to protect the Earth from supernatural dangers.”

“Cool. Hey, wanna join the Avengers? We're a bit short-staffed at the moment.”

“I'm... sorry, I believe I have enough problems on my own.”

“Okay, forget it. So, could you break Loki or Leikný's shapeshifting spell?”

“I believe if I saw her I could try to work on that...”

The ring of Tony's phone stops him mid-sentence. Stark excuses himself to look at the new message and curses quietly.

“I'm sorry, I have to go,” he says standing up. “There's a spaceship coming to Earth.”

He sends the special message to FRIDAY meant to summon the suit and prepare for battle, but Strange stops him.

“I have a better way.”

He waves his hand and Tony feels a rush of air on the back of his neck. He turns around to face an oval tear in the fabric on the universe. Beyond lays a place that looks suspiciously like airport and Tony wonders how the hell does Strange knows about this top secret location, but bites his tongue. Knowing sorcerers the answer will likely be 'magic'.

“Uh, I don't know...” Tony rubs the back of his head. “Last time I went through a portal I ended up in a unnamed dimension beyond time and space.”

“This one is safe. I promise.”

Strange seems trustworthy, but still... Ah, fuck it.

“If that fails, I'm gonna come back from the dead to haunt you for the rest of your existence,” Tony promises and steps through.

* * *

The spaceship has a radio. And a captain named Peter Quill. He's kind enough to call before approaching and NASA manages to find him a comfortable and secluded landing spot in Arizona. There he's greeted by what's left of the Avengers and Iron Legion to boost, just to be on the safe side.

“Whoa, whoa!” says the surprisingly human male walking out of the ship and raising hands in surrender. The gun holster on his belt doesn't help his cause, though. “We come in peace!”

Behind him trails a green-skinned woman with leather coat and sword on her back and a blue-skinned man with red tattoos. Tony's about to quip something about 'Star Trek' crew, but then the normalcy ends when a bipedal raccoon in a space suit walks through the door. And it goes through the window when a small ent follows, smiling widely and waving, seemingly oblivious to the guns pointed at him.

And then comes Thor, with a big, happy smile and Tony forgets all about the new aliens. He swallows heavily, trying to regain his composure.

“Hi Thor,” he starts nonchalantly. “They told me you were coming. Just weren't sure when.”

Thunderer stops mid-step and his smile freezes before turning into uncertain frown. He's wearing an eye-patch and his hair is short (though it started growing back, forming sort of emo hairstyle, that would look ridiculous even it wasn't attached to two hundred pounds of pure muscle mass), so at least that part of Leikný's story is true.

“They?” Thunderer asks. “So my people are here?”

“Yes, they arrived safely. With your, um, sister...”

“Sister?” Thor's uncertainty turns into a shock. Fuck.

“Yeah, that's what she said,” Tony pauses. Deep inside he still hopes that it's all a big misunderstanding. That there's still a rational explanation to everything. He really doesn't want to bring his suspicion up, but... he needs to know. “Although she may actually be...”

He doesn't get a chance to finish.

“I only have one sister and if she managed to survive and take control of my people then we're in serious trouble. Where are they?”

And despite everything Tony can't help a wave of relief washing over him.

“The other side of the world. But we're lucky, Stephen here knows a handy trick.” Tony points to Strange standing behind. The sorcerer rolls his eyes but waves his hands, opening another portal leading to what appears to be an outskirt of an Asgardian camp.

“I can't get us any closer, her spells prevent me from approaching,” the sorcerer says with a frown, probably not used to things blocking his magic.

“It's all right,” Tony assures him. The apprehension he felt when faced with the first portal is gone, replaced by completely different kind of anxiety. Fear and uncertainty are gnawing at him, every second spend... not knowing is like a torture. They need to get over it. Fast.

“Thank you, friend.” Thor sends te sorcerer a tired smile then steps through the portal without hesitation. The aliens he came with exchange looks, apparently not sure what to do with themselves. They probably expected a warmer welcome. Or any welcome at all, but for now it must seem like people of Earth barely notice them. It's too bad, Tony thinks, but they have problems they have to deal with first. They can play first contact later. 

For now the only thing he can bring himself to do is point at the portal.

“You coming?” he asks. The captain – Peter – shrugs and steps through and his team follows.

“Sure, that seems like a great idea,” murmurs raccoon and Tony wonders how does he do that without human mouth and vocal cords.

“I am Groot,” says ent, in relation to nothing.

Tony enters the portal right after him, making sure Rhodey, Vision and the kid follow. Strange closes the procession and the portal vanishes behind him.

They are noticed almost immediately and Asgardians drop everything and gather around to greet their king. Thor stops to return their affection, but Tony hurries him up. With all the commotion they're causing, Leikný probably knows they're coming and may try to escape or something. She said she would hand the throne back to Thor when he comes back, but Tony's not sure if he can believe her. He's not sure if he can believe anything now.

Some people point them toward the Thingstead and sure enough, the queen stands there waiting, with two women at her side that Tony has never seen before. She's pale and still wears the clothing from that damned interview in the morning. When the crowd parts, letting them in, she seems to barely notice Thor, her eyes fixed on Tony and he doesn't even need to hear what happens next to know.

“Loki,” chastens Thor. “I thought you're too old for that.”

The wave of green light runs through the regent's body, removing all traces of femininity. Loki looks at his brother with jaws clenched and darkness in his eyes.

“Too old for what, Thor?” he spits. “Staying alive after you dropped me into an enemy land?”

“It's not enemy land.”

“It is for me.”

“You...” Stark cuts in and points at Loki, barely stopping himself from reaching for a repulsor. “You damned... witch. You seduced me!”

“Don't give me that look, Stark,” the Trickster says, shifting his gaze back to Tony, but the man doesn't listen, blinded by anger and betrayal. He turns around to leave, feeling that if he won't, he will have to destroy something – or someone. Blood rushes in his ears, but not loud enough to drown out Loki's screams: “You wanted it. You wanted it!”

* * *

Loki tries to run after Stark, but Thor catches his arm and pushes him back. The Trickster yanks, trying to break the grip, but it's impossible, he feels like the ground slips from under his feet and he reaches out, trying desperately to grab the only thing that can keep him afloat, but Stark is walking away and soon the crowd closes behind him and Loki falls, surrounded by darkness, with thousand eyes looking at him with thirst for blood.

“Take your hands off him.” Hnoss' voice breaks through. He looks aside to see his friend, yanking his arm from Thunderer's grip and holding it protectively. And then he realizes that it's still an early evening, the ground is steady under his feet and...

And there's Thor.

Despair gives way to anger. He tried his best. He did everything he could, to survive, to rebuild. And then Thor came to ruin everything, like he always does...

“I'm glad to see you too, Hnoss,” The Thunderer speaks with sarcasm, so unusual for him. “But we really need to talk and I'd rather not do it in front of whole of Asgard.”

For a split second they stare at each other in silent battle, but finally the woman scoffs and pulls Loki to the Thingstead, making sure to put herself between the brothers. Thor gives out an exasperated huff, but follows with no comment.

But as soon as they enter the Thingstead, he rips Loki from Hnoss' grasp and pushes him against the wall.

“I met some interesting people on my way here,” he starts with barely hidden anger. Loki feels Hnoss sneaking to stand at his side and discreetly squeezing his arm. “Does name Gamora ring any bells?”

It does. Loki pales then looks over Thor's shoulder, where mentioned assassin has already made herself comfortable. There are other people too: the android, the other Iron Man, that damned mortal sorcerer, some aliens he's never seen before, Brunnhilde with the most glaring 'I-told-you-so' look imaginable and the whole Thing. Of course. How could they miss the show?

Loki makes a discreet gesture, tightening his protective spells and putting on some new ones, just in case. On his sides, he feels Hnoss and Gersemi doing the same and the warmth of their shoulders against his provide him with enough reassurance to speak again.

“You can't trust this woman,” he says looking back at Thor. The Thunderer, who up until now was pacing in front of him, stops abruptly and crosses his arms.

“Oh yeah? And why not?”

“She's the daughter of Thanos, that man who attacked us on our way here...”

“My situation was no better than yours,” says the assassin and Loki can't help his face twisting in anger.

“You held the knife!”

At his sides, the twins shift to face a new threat.

“As it was held to me before!” Gamora steps forward, but Thor stops her gently.

“Yes, she told me about Thanos,” he nods, not letting their quarrel escalate. “Of what he's done to you. What he forced you to do.” Loki tries to step back, but he's met with a cold steel wall and Thor, seeing his effort runs forth and grabs his arms. “Damn you, Loki, why didn't you tell me?!”

Trickster shakes his head.

“You wouldn't listen...”

“How can you know that?!”

“Because you never do!” Loki jerks his head up to look into Thor's eyes. “You barely noticed me even when you considered me a brother...”

“That's not true, Loki, I cared for you...”

Trickster laughs bitterly. Does he really? Yes, he knows, Thor honestly thinks that. But it doesn't matter: Loki stopped trying to find a difference between his love and hate. And if there's one thing he's certain of...

“You cared for me when you needed my help!” he spits, shaking Thunderer's arms off. “Then you could always find me and you were always so full of big words. Of adventures, family, fighting side by side! But when we were done I might as well stop existing to you.”

“That's not true...” Thor shakes his head slowly, tears pooling in his only eye, but Loki doesn't stop. Now that he made the cut, the only way he can go is forth.

“That's all you can do, use, abuse me and leave me behind...”

“I never left you...”

“You left me here! You left me on Sakaar! You left in me in that rotten cell after we came back from Midgard!”

“Loki...”

“No, you did! You locked me up and never came back, never talked to me, never asked me why. And now you blame me for not speaking! Damn you, Thor...” His face twists with pain. “You didn't even let me say goodbye to our mother. Did our kinship mean so little to you that you would stand between me and the only person I had because of the mistakes I made?”

The shock that was painted on Thor's face since Loki started talking, now melts, giving room to a deep sorrow.

“I'm so sorry...”

But Loki doesn't want to listen. Thor never listened to him, why should he bother? He shakes his head and blinks, trying to hold back tears.

“You know, for I while I thought it was a lie. A ruse, made up by you and Odin, to break me, to make me do as you please again. When I came from Svartalfheim, I tried to call her... but to no avail.” Tears are running over his face, but the sentiment is mirrored by Thor. The Thunderer opens his mouth to speak, but Loki's not finished yet. Ugly grin splits his face as he makes a swooping gesture, as if presenting their surrounding to the Thunderer. “And now? On Earth, with no one but enemies around me?”

“I told you we'll be fine.”

“Oh, you will, I have no doubt. You're always fine, aren't you? But what fate did you envision for me? Did you really think that your friends will welcome me with open arms? Or did you plan all along to just hand me over, a little peace offering to ensure their good graces? You could even ask your new sorcerer friend to put me into that abyss, make me relive the worst moment of my life for the rest of eternity, so I could think about what I've done.”

“I didn't mean to...” started Strange. He's pale, obviously appalled by Loki's accusation.

“What did you mean to?” The Trickster spits, not interested in apologies.

“They can't lock you away,” Gamora interrupts unexpectedly. “You weren't acting of your own volition. You were nothing but his victim. Like all of us.”

Surprisingly, her words soothe anger boiling inside Loki, enough to let him think clearly again.

“If it wasn't for you, it would be only my word and that is worth less than the air I waste uttering it,” he says, a bitter smile creeping on his lips.

“I don't care.” She clenches her fists then walks forward and pushes Thor away to step in front of Loki. “If no one else, I will stand for you. You suffered enough and I won't let anyone punish you any further. I promise.”

For a moment he looks at her in silence, weighting her words. She looks honest. Different than before. And yet...

“Why?” he asks finally.

“Because Thanos is coming to Earth. And the only way we can survive is by sticking together.”

Loki scoffs, even though his heart skipped a beat at the mention of the Titan.

“If you're looking for an alliance, you better stick to them,” he says gesturing around. Gamora frowns, not understanding.

“Why?”

“Because there's a lot of them and only one of me. And they all just wait for an excuse to get rid of me.”

“We're still here,” says Gersemi, squeezing his arm reassuringly. It's not much and she must know that she's no match for the Titan, but the sentiment behind the gesture is enough to make Loki smile softly.

“Damn you, Loki,” Thor shouts, making Loki cower again. “We did nothing to earn your hatred! Why would you rather believe a woman that tortured you than your own brother? Is there really no trust between us anymore?”

“A trust?” The anger flashes in Loki again and before he can stop, he lets out a deluge of accusations he bottled for years: “Your father lied to me my whole life and you dare talking about trust?! And you! So full of yourself, so convinced of your own infallibility that you never ever stops to think how others may feel! But I'm done with you! All of our lives, you coddled me with sweet words when you needed help then came back to mocking me for the rest of the time! What did you expect me to do? Crawl to you, beg for – for what? Mercy you never show? Love you never felt? Go to hell, Odinson! You're nothing but a bully to me!”

Thor stops pacing and turns to Loki, who freezes in fear. Then the Thunderer steps forward and tries to grab his brother's shoulders, but his hand runs through the image dispersing it. Loki's gone.

“Damn you!”

* * *

It must be the fireworks that draw Thor's attention. Damned Stark. He can't fix the engine but he has to take care of entertainment. The priorities of this man!

Up until the Thunderer's entry, Loki sits at the Commodore console, pushing buttons and pulling levers, desperately hoping that the damn thing will come to life. And in a way it does: music blasts through the speakers and fireworks explode in the air, but the ship itself won't even budge. In desperation Loki punches the console, denting the soft metal, then he hides face in his hands. He wants to cry. No, not from sorrow. The impotent rage. Rage at Thor for always spoiling everything. Rage at Stark for his inability to fix the simplest things. Rage at Grandmaster for installing this stupid fireworks and obnoxious music. And rage at himself for ever thinking...

“What are you doing?” asks Thor entering the cockpit. Loki jerks up, then turns his head slightly, barely allowing Thor to see his face.

“Well, I'm not going to sit and wait for your friends to come and get me,” he says as calmly as he can.

“My friends have left. No one is here to get you.”

Loki bites back some scathing remark. Like it makes any difference!

“Someone else then. Now that my identity is revealed, I don't think we'll have to wait long for your beloved mortals to come for me with pitchforks and torches.”

“I don't think pitchforks and torches will do you much harm,” the Thunderer tries to joke, but Loki cuts him angrily:

“Energy rays and sorcery then. Everything they have at their disposal. Even you should realize that they will want my head and stop at nothing...”

“I know, Loki,” it's Thor's turn to cut him short. “Don't worry, I will protect you.” The Trickster's not sure when his brother found himself at his side and put a heavy hand on his arm. But his closeness doesn't bring the sense of security it once did. If anything it makes Trickster even more uncertain. There was a time when he always knew what his oafish brother was up to. But the oaf has grown and wised up and now he is as capable of deceit as Trickster himself.

Not so long ago Loki wouldn't even imagine how much we would miss the oaf.

When Thor speaks again, his voice is quiet, so unlike him and soft, deceptively so: “Please, stay. I just got you back.”

“I'm not a property you can get back,” Loki spits before he can stop himself. “Not your punching bag. Not a tool for you to use and abuse as you please. I'm a person, Thor. I think, I feel, I hurt!”

“And have you considered my feelings?” Loki feels his stomach turning. But he's not surprised, not anymore. Thor was always self-centered, now he just dropped the last of his pretenses. Why does Loki even bother? “You tried to kill me, kill everyone. You faked your death, then came back, you helped me just to betray me again. So I told you to go, hoping you would find happiness I couldn't grant you...”

“You left me incapacitated on a hostile planet, Thor, you left me to die!”

“Oh, come on, I knew you're going to be fine!”

“And what if I wasn't?” He turns violently, shaking Thor's hand off and making him step back in surprise. “What if I was found by Grandmaster? Or if the gladiators recognized me as his associate and decided to take their vengeance upon me? Did you think about that, Thor? Did you even care?!”

“If there's one thing I trust in you is your ability to survive.” Thor sounds annoyed and Loki feels an urge to throw something at his face. “And I've got tired of your games. Of mourning you just to have you come back to stab me...”

“Oh, fret not, Thor. I'm not going to come back this time. Unless some other monster captures me and sends me...”

“That's not what I meant...” Thunderer sighs, sounding more tired than ever and against everything Loki feels his anger dissipating. “You're right, I let you down. After the... Midgard. I thought you changed. That madness consumed you and there's nothing left of the brother I once loved. But you proved me wrong and... I'm glad to see you're better now.”

“Not thanks to you!” he snarls, but it sounds weak.

“I know. But... You know, we can't change what happened, we can only look forward, right? And now, that so many are gone... Our world, our parents, our friends. We only have each other.”

Loki purses his lips and doesn't grace it with an answer. So much talking, and Thor still doesn't see that while he could always, even at their worst, count on his brother's help, Loki has always been alone. He had no one – not before, not after falling in Thanos' hands and definitely not after. And now there was nothing left to keep him here.

But if Thor hadn't understand it yet, he never will.

“Heimdall told me about everything you did since you crashed here,” Thor starts again, but Loki only scoffs.

“Did he say at least one good thing?” he asks caustically.

“He said nothing but good things. He said you started rebuilding Asgard.”

“Ah...”

“And I need you to continue. I can't do this on my own, I know nothing about magic.”

Loki scoffs again and crosses his arms obstinately, but in his chest he feels a treacherous warmth. Isn't that pathetic? With everything he knows... Still, few sweet words are enough to melt him down.

“Ask your new friend, that mortal sorcerer,” he says stubbornly. “I left the Tesseract in Thingstead, that should make it easy for him.”

“Infinity Stone is too powerful an artifact for a mortal to use.”

“I'm sure he's stronger in a ways I'll never even know.” He looks at Thor defiantly, wondering if he even remember those words. They were so easy to get lost, after all, among so many other slights. “You're no longer concerned that it will consume me?” he presses on, determined to remind him. “Or you just don't care anymore?”

Thor only purses his lips. Loki scoffs again. Funny how Thor's usual contempt for his 'tricks' disappears whenever the oaf needs them. But Loki has no doubt now that it will be back as soon as it's over and the 'tricks' are no longer needed. He turns his head. “Then ask Heidrun, Hnoss, Gersemi...”

“I don't know Heidrun, but Hnoss and Gersemi would rather hang my balls on a hook than help me. Then go after you and do the same for leaving them behind.”

The words bring a deep ache deep in Loki's chest, but don't stop him from saying:

“They're better off without me.”

Now Thor gives out an exasperated huff and crosses his arms.

“Did someone tell you that you're an idiot? You push away all the people who care for you then blame them for leaving. How long do you think you can do that? How long before you'll be completely alone...”

Loki opens his mouth to retort, but suddenly he catches a movement behind Thor's back and pushes the oaf away.

“Hey, Thor, buddy. Could you give us a minute?”

The Thunderer looks at Loki for a while longer, without a word, then leaves, passing Tony Stark standing in the doorway. The Trickster's not sure how long the mortal's been listening and how much he's heard. But he doesn't want to give the man an opening.

“You came here to tell me how right they were all along?” he asks bitterly. “That I am a worthless piece of shit they all thought of me? Don't worry, I know. I know everything you may want to say...”

“I'm sorry.”

Words die in Loki's throat.

“You were right, it's all my fault,” Stark continues. “You tried to warn me, I didn't listen. I pushed forward, despite everything, yourself included, telling me it's a bad idea. And when it blew, I tried to blame you, like a total asshole. I'm sorry. And no, I don't think they were right.” He stops and rubs his forehead. Loki notices that his posture is slumped, with no trace of his usual confidence and realizes, that it's probably the first time he sees the mortal hesitating. Finally he must reach some kind of resolution, because he straightens up and speaks: “Look, I'm still pissed that you tricked me with that gender-bending, let's get that out of the way. You're lucky that I'm not picky about who I sleep with. But yeah, back to the topic. What I mean...” He inhales deeply then continues, quickly, as if afraid that his confidence will abandon him and he won't be able to finish: “I've been at your side for months, I got to know you much better than I had a chance when we first met. And I think... you're not as bad as you wanted us to believe. I'm still not sure what made you did what you did. But, you know. You can do better.”

The man puts his hands in pockets and shrugs then turns his head. For a moment Loki sits motionless, in utter incomprehension. Could that be true? Could that mortal really mean...

“I'm sorry too,” he stutters, not even sure where it came from. “For tricking you. I didn't mean for that to happen, I just... Didn't want you to kill me. Creating sufficiently distinctive look as a male would require time and preferably a mirror, but slipping into woman's form was just a matter of... remembering. I used to do it a lot when I was younger. And I knew that no one would suspect me in this shape. I didn't expect...”

“That things would get out of hand?” Stark slips, trying to sound light and failing miserably. “Yeah, can't blame you for falling for my animal magnetism.”

They stay silent for a moment, Loki hunched on captain's chair, with eyes glued to the floor, Stark standing in front of him, with hands in his pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet, with gaze wandering around the ship, carefully avoiding the Trickster.

“Alright,” the mortal says after a moment. “It's all right. I understand. And I... I don't hate you. For what it's worth.”

Loki doesn't answer, still not sure what to make of it. The silence surrounds them, almost physical, thick and sticky and Trickster feels that even if he tried to speak, it would quickly choke him.

At least Stark doesn't seem to have such problems.

“So, did they control you?” he asks matter-of-factly and as if the spell was lifted, Loki answers before he can even think about proper words:

“No, just tortured until my mind collapsed then rebuild it in His image.”

“Your eyes were blue.”

“I know.” He hesitates. He never told anyone what happened, but only because no one asked. And Tony's curiosity seems... genuine. Free from hostility, suspicion, judgment, everything he would expect in Asgard. So he carefully starts explaining, with eyes on Stark's face, looking for the slightest sign of doubt that would be his cue to stop. But there is none. “They couldn't control me over such distance, but they affected me. And not just me, you felt that too: when you were in a room with that scepter. Anger. Hostility. Hatred. It was hard to think straight when it was nearby, wasn't it?” Stark swallows, staring blankly and Loki knows that he must think back to the moment he's talking about: when not-yet-Avengers gathered around the scepter, deliberating how to stop the upcoming invasion only to end up almost jumping at each other's throats. They probably thought it was Loki's doing, but in fact he was affected more than any of them. He was holding that damned thing after all.

“So you never really wanted to conquer Earth?”

“I don't know.” The mortal's eyes finally snap to met his and Loki shudders. “You must understand, He didn't create anything. He just took what was there and... twisted it. Took my dreams and tainted them, escalated my anger, removed inhibitions. When I came to your world for the first time I was myself... But I wasn't. I barely had enough lucidity to realize that something's wrong. But I couldn't disobey and I couldn't come up with a better plan with that damned thing clouding my mind.”

“What plan did you come up with?”

Loki hesitates again. He waves his hand in a nondescript gesture.

“You. The Avengers. Earth's mightiest heroes. I couldn't stop them myself, but I could make sure that when they came, they would meet with a warm reception.” Stark frowns, probably wondering why Loki didn't just ask for help, so Trickster quickly explains: “But you were divided, so I needed to come and... Give you a reason to put your differences behind and fight together.”

“You could have killed us.”

“I tried not to.”

“You tossed me out of the window!”

Loki shakes his head slowly. “If that could have killed you, you would be of no use to me.”

Tony sends him a hurtful pout, but Loki knows him well enough to know that there's no real offense in it. So the man huffs and goes to the next question:

“Why didn't you tell anything?”

Loki smiles bitterly.

“I'm a Trickster, Stark. No one of sound mind would believe me.”

“And Thor?”

“Thor?” Loki chuckles mirthlessly. “Thor put me in a muzzle. What does that say about his willingness to listen?”

Stark doesn't answer, ruminating over what he just heard. Another moment of silence pass, but it's not as suffocating as previously. In fact, Loki feels... almost light. As if confessing took a great weight off his chest.

“So, what now?” Stark asks finally.

“From what I heard, he's coming to Earth,” Loki says flatly, trying his best to keep trembling from his voice. “To take his revenge.”

“For that army he sent to us in the first place?”

“For his wounded pride. So far, he destroyed everyone he laid his eyes upon. He won't let that be changed.”

“We'll see about that. You're gonna help us?” Loki opens his mouth to answer, but Tony doesn't give him a chance. “You're not going anywhere, the ship's fucked. I thought I would have better luck fixing it but it is a complete alien technology to me. Hey, let's make a deal.”

“Oh?”

“You'll stay here, until you finish building Asgard. If during this time he comes here, you'll help us kick his ass. In the meantime, I'll fix your ship so you can fly wherever your heart desire.”

“I don't...”

“Look, they need you, Loki. They are assholes and they don't deserve you, but they need you. And it's your chance to prove to them that you are better than what they think of you. That you won't let such a small thing as personal grudge stand in a way of a greater good.”

“Prove!” He can't help a scoff “How can I even prove anything else to them? I fought for them, I died for them...”

“You faked your death and tried to pass it off as a heroism. That doesn't count. You have to do something real.”

“For the past few months I've been doing nothing but working for real. It didn't change anything...”

“How do you know?”

“Why, didn't you see the interview? Or didn't you hear them cheering when Thor arrived?”

“Well, of course they cheered when Thor came back, that doesn't automatically mean they hate you! And you shouldn't listen to everything that woman says. She's a journalist, her job is talking shit about people. And, if you didn't notice, she had an agenda. So there's that.”

Loki doesn't even notice when Tony stands beside him and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Please, stay,” he says softly, with a slightest hesitation, making a shiver run down Loki's spine. And, oh, he wants it so badly. For things to be as they were before, when Tony didn't know...

“This world is not safe for me...” he says half-heartedly.

“I will protect you.”

And Loki realizes that he believes that.

Then Tony's hand slides down to trace across Loki's chest. He catches it mid-movement.

“Tony, you know I'm not... I'm not a real woman.”

“Felt pretty real to me,” jests Tony and Loki can't help a soft smile creeping on his lips.

“I know. I'm a shapeshifter, I can be what I want, a man, a woman, anything really. But I... I don't like being a woman. It just doesn't feel like me.”

“Okay.” Tony says like it is the most normal thing in the world then shifts forward, so their knees touch.

“I...”

“It's okay,” he repeats, reaching with his other hand to tangle his fingers in Loki's hair. His thumb brushes Loki's lips and the god lifts his head to look into his eyes, expecting mockery and finding nothing but affection. “Man or woman, it doesn't matter. It's still you.”

Loki must look pretty dumbfounded, because the man chuckles quietly.

“What? You thought you would freak me out?” With these words he closes the distance and slides to sit on Loki's lap, wringing a gasp from his mouth. But the mortal is smiling, one hand still propped against his chest, the other cradling his face and Trickster notices that even without conscious effort his own hands slip up Tony's sides. “Takes more than that, babe.”

He leans down to press his lips against Loki's and god's world spirals into oblivion.

* * *

That night the next attack comes. Loki's not sleeping well, thrashing and moaning on a captain's chair, no matter how close Tony pulls him or how much he tries to wake him up. At last, the god gives out a desperate cry, then his body stretches unnaturally, bending into an arch, before curling and starting to shake violently.

“Loki!” Tony grabs his arms and tries to get his attention, but god's eyes, although wide open, are glassy, unseeing. The shaking gets stronger and Stark can hear Loki's teeth rattling. He tries to press his body back into the chair, somehow stop it from shaking, but the other man, even without conscious effort, is much stronger and Tony gets thrown off.

Okay, that's beyond his abilities. Not even thinking about pulling his pants up, he runs outside. They fell asleep on the ship, a surprisingly comfortable spot, but now Tony curses its location, so far from anything and anyone. His bare feet sink into fresh snow and cold wind bites his skin.

He's so gonna get a pneumonia. But fuck, he'll worry about it later.

“Help!” he screams long before reaching first trailers. “I need a doctor! Healer... Whoever!”

There's a commotion as people wake up and look out of the doors to see what's happening, but no one seems eager to approach him. Finally, one middle-aged woman comes out.

“What's happening?” she asks with authoritative tone. Tony's not sure who she is, he's never seen her before. A noble? Doctor? It doesn't matter.

“It's Loki. He has some kind of attack...”

She utters a word he can't understand then runs toward Thingstead.

“He's in the small ship,” Tony shouts, trying to catch up with her. But despite the fact that she's walking and he's running, she seems miles ahead of him. He curses under his breath. Damn gods and their stamina.

But at least she seems confident. Maybe she knows what's wrong with Loki. Maybe she'll be able to help him...

She enters the ship and Tony quickly follows. Loki is still shaking, foam mixed with blood accumulating on his lips. The woman sits at his side, with a hand on his forehead. She murmurs something and Tony feels the air brimming with strange energy, he smells ozone and sees the strange illumination surrounding both Asgardians. Is that a healing spell? It must work, because soon after Loki's body limps and he falls back on the chair. He blinks few times then his eyes shift toward the healer.

“What happened?” comes from the door and Tony turns around to see Thor entering the ship. He didn't even notice Thunderer following them. He opens his mouth to answer, but the healer speaks first.

“Get out of here,” she hisses. She stands up and storms towards Thor. Her face is twisted with fury, eyes blaring like lanterns. But Thor seems unaffected.

“If there's anything I can do to help...”

“You've done enough,” she cuts him short.

Uh, oh, thinks Tony. That's not the way you speak to your king. But Thor seems more surprised than offended and he doesn't fight when the woman pushes him away and shuts the door in his face. Then she turns back to Loki.

“You still think staying here is a good idea?” she asks, her voice as cold as ice. Loki drops his head and purses his lips. Since the dialog isn't moving, Tony clears his throat and asks:

“What the hell has happened?”

The healer crosses her arms and looks away.

“It's nothing,” says Loki.

“Did it happen before?” asks the healer, completely ignoring Tony's question. “In your sleep?”

“Sometimes,” admits Loki, not lifting his head. Wait, so that was a thing?!

“Can someone tell me what the hell has just happened?” repeats Tony, louder and maybe a tad bit angrier. Loki looks at him with a strange pleading in his eyes, but doesn't answer and the healer spits out just two words:

“Thor happened.”

“It's not...” Loki starts, but doesn't get the chance to finish.

“He zapped Loki with some alien tech and now he's having these attacks.”

So it really is not the first time. Tony feels cold shiver running down his spine. Well, he supposes, that explains those rare – but all too frequent, now that he thinks of it – occasions, when Loki hid in her chamber, refusing to see him.

“Can't you help him somehow?” he asks, swallowing bitter bile rising to his throat.

“I am helping him somehow. But his nerves are damaged and I don't have the tools to fix them. The only hope lays in Loki's natural healing abilities.”

Said god sighs deeply. The healer sits next to him to look him in the eyes and grabs his hand.

“Loki. I am serious now. You have to get out of here.”

“I can't get out!” he cries pulling his hand from healers grasp. “The ship is fucked.”

“What about the Tesseract?”

“You need Tesseract to build Asgard.”

The healer only shakes her head and states with a sudden sadness:

“He's gonna be the death of you.”

Then she gets up and leaves without a word. For a long while Tony just looks at Loki, completely at loss.

He has to talk to Loki. Honestly. And to Thor. But for now...

“I'm so sorry,” he stutters.

Loki doesn't answer so Tony carefully sits on the chair next to him.

“Are you okay?”

Trickster pulls his legs to his chest and wraps his arms around them. His head drops to his knees and Tony has some trouble hearing the murmured answer.

“I'll be fine.”

“I didn't know it's that bad. If I knew... perhaps I wouldn't insist on keeping you here.”

“It's nothing.”

“You think it'll heal?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so. In few years, maybe, but it will.”

Tony's not sure if that's because what the healer said or... because of Loki's own experience with being zapped. But he's too afraid to ask.

“I'm gonna kill Thor,” he grumbles. Loki scoffs.

“What good will that do?”

Tony sighs.

“It was a hyperbole. I'm gonna talk to him. Tell him what I think about crippling your sibling.”

Loki hums indistinctly.

“You think you'd heal quicker away from here?”

“Now you too are going to try to convince me to leave?”

“I don't know. I do want you to be healthy and happy. And... Yeah. I think that should be a priority here. But I also think...” He sucks in the air. “I'm thinking of everything you did for Asgard since you landed. It would be a shame to abandon it all, wouldn't it? And there still so much to do. Your seidr academy. The rights of women and...” He hesitates, not sure how best to convey it. “LGBT,” he blurts out finally.

Loki gives him a puzzled look.

“What does that mean?”

“Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender.”

“Freaks, in other words.”

Tony crosses his arms and looks back with clear disapproval.

“Yeah, see, that's the problem. They are people too. They should be treated with respect. And I'm guessing that's not always the case in Asgard?”

The god gives out a deep, tired sigh.

“That's not the case, because there are no people like that in Asgard,” he says with quiet resignation. “Only me.”

“Of course there are!” He reaches out to grab Loki's hand and squeeze it slightly. “There are always people who don't fit. They're just too afraid to come out. They feel like they're alone, one of a kind, that there's no one there who would understand and support them. But you, as a prince, by being there and being who you are, could give them courage. And when your asshole subjects see how many of those 'freaks' are there, they couldn't ignore them anymore, couldn't pretend they don't exist.”

“You say it like it's that easy.”

“It's not easy. We're dealing with the same shit here on Earth. It's just, like what, fifty years since we stopped considering homosexuality a mental disorder? But we're working on it. And things are getting better. Being together is the key. And having someone powerful to protect you doesn't hurt.”

“Except I'm not powerful. And Thor will do anything to quash my attempts.”

“Thor will have to accept you. I will talk to him.”

“You think it will do any good?”

“Yes, it will. Look, I know you don't believe it, but Thor does love you. And he would do anything to get you back.”

“Not anymore.” The god shakes his head. “Perhaps never.”

“Bullshit. You don't really believe it. And even if you do, then I'm sorry, but you're wrong.” Loki doesn't answer, just turns his head away with that stubborn look on his face, with lips pressed into a thin line and cold, dark eyes. Tony barely stops himself from rolling his eyes and decides to keep talking: “He always spoke highly of you. It got awkward at times, especially shortly after the attack. Clint hated it. But anytime Thor told us about some adventures you had, he would say that he wouldn't do it without you.”

Loki chuckles, but there's only bitterness in it.

“I'm surprised that he even mentioned my name. As long as I remember he would twist any story of our adventures as to make it seem that I wasn't even there.”

“Well, maybe losing you made him realize how much he needs you.”

“Did he tell you about Svartalfheim?”

“He said you saved his life.”

“Hmm. I saw him being pummeled by a beast whose only purpose was to slaughter those like us. I knew that if Thor survives, he will put me back in prison. Or kill me if he suspected my tricks. That's what he promised, you see.”

“You think he would do that?”

“Kill me or put me in prison?”

“You know.”

The god hesitates for a bit before answering.

“I know... I knew it then. I could turn my back and leave. Deal with Malekith myself or leave him to you. Or just assume, like Thor, that everything will work out fine. But I didn't. I saved his life. Even though I knew how much it would cost me.”

“You tried to kill him before.”

“I did not.” Loki's face take on such a look of utter hurt that Tony feels stupid for even suggesting that. “Hurt him, beat him, bring him down, but not kill him.”

“What about that machine you send after him to New Mexico?”

“I send it after his friends and I could make it burn Thor into a crisp, so that even Allfather's magic wouldn't bring him back. I just wanted to shake him up a bit. Put him in his place,” he speaks the last part with utter bitterness and Tony pauses to think about it for a moment.

“You should tell him that,” he says finally. But Loki shrugs it off.

“What difference will it make?”

“All the difference!” he sighs. If it was about anyone else, Tony would give up long time ago. He's not the one to be the mature one. But these two... They make him feel fucking paternal. “You guys really need to start communicating. It's getting ridiculous...”

Loki knots his brows and Tony knows, he just knows that Loki's going to say something completely ludicrous.

“Thor doesn't care...”

“He doesn't care, but he loves you,” he slips, not letting Loki spiral again down his road of self-pity. “You care for him, but don't love him. And you're both waiting for the other to buckle up. And you're both too much of an assholes to do it. But one of you will have to. There's no other way. You'll keep fighting, keep hurting each other... Or you'll talk and sort your shit out like adults.”

“It's not that easy.”

“I never said it's easy. Just like rebuilding Asgard. But it needs to be done, right?”

Loki sighs, but Tony feels like his words are finally bearing fruit.

“Perhaps...” he admits reluctantly. Tony can't help a muffled laughter.

“All right, just think about it.”

A new spark shines in Trickster's eyes.

“I will.”


	6. Season of storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some things change, but others stay the same.

The next morning Thor seems equally delighted to find Loki back at work and puzzled by Tony's presence at his side.

“I convinced him to stay,” explains the mortal. Loki hesitates, but the gentle squeeze of his hand is all the encouragement he needs. He lifts his head to look defiantly at Thor and speaks:

“Stark promised me protection.”

A deep frown forms on Thor's face.

“So did I.”

Loki only shrugs and Thor's frown deepens.

“Well, I'm certainly glad that you're here,” murmurs Thunderer then adds in normal voice: “Are you feeling better today?”

“I am...” He hesitates. “Well enough.”

“Good.” The king nods. He stands straight, with arms squared and chest puffed, a picture of royal grace that always came to him so naturally and and that Loki was never quite able to master. Even now it fills him with resentment, especially since everyone around them also seem to feel the shift in power: the dwarfs back off to give them space and bow their heads slightly, even when the king isn't looking. Oh, they always treated Loki with respect, all right – but they never fawned on him the same way they did to Thor.

He ponders if he should make some scathing comment or just excuse himself with his duties and leave, when the king asks:

“I want you to send me to Nidavellir this afternoon.”

Loki looks at him puzzledly, but Thor's gaze is locked on the horizon and his expression strangely worried. For a moment the Trickster wonders how much does the king already know about his time as regent and which of his oversights the he is so determined to fix, but he doesn't ask.

“Of course,” he says merely, dropping his head and pursing his lips. But then he feels a strong arm wrapping itself around his waist, making him jerk slightly before tensing. He lifts his head, but it's too late: his movement was enough to draw Thor's attention back and now the king is watching them with even deeper frown and arms crossed with disapproval.

“You should refrain from such familiarity in public,” he reproaches with thinly veiled threat in his voice. Loki curses quietly. He warned Stark... He told him! Now it's all over, Tony will argue and Thor will fry him on a spot. And then Loki right after.

“And why so?” asks the damn mortal, with back straight, head up and every inch of his face screaming defiance. Loki wonders if he should smother him with his cloak and teleport somewhere far away where he won;t be able to make things worse.

“What you do is not... honorable,” explains Thor.

“Well, it is how it is.”

“Tony...”

“We are together, Thor. Loki and I. And we're happy that way. If you have problem with it, that's your problem. Not mine. And not Loki's. So you deal with it.”

Loki realizes that everyone around them has stopped working. The dwarfs froze in place, staring at them, not daring to speak, maybe even holding breaths. The silence is so heavy it's almost physical. And Thor...

“Oh, I can deal with it pretty well...” The Thunderer grumbles, with lightning dancing around his fingers. Loki suddenly remembers the last time – and all the other times before – he was struck and wonders how much more he can take. And then he wonders, if these two were to fight, would he jump ahead to take the lightning aimed at Stark?

And to his surprise he realizes that yes, he would.

But presently it doesn't seem to be necessary, since Starks lets go of his waist and takes a step forth, ostensibly reaching to his wristwatch to summon the suit.

“Well, if that's how you want to handle it, then bring it on,” he says with his usual cockiness. “I'm ready.”

And, to Loki's utter astonishment, that does it. Thor is so surprised that the lightning dies and for a moment he just stares at the mortal in consternation.

“Are you truly ready to fight for it?” he asks finally.

“Any time,” asserts Stark.

“Then I see no reason to question your honor.” The Thunderer raises his voice and looks around. The dwarfs, as if on a signal, resume their work, some snickering and murmuring curses, luckily incomprehensible over the clanging of metal. Only when the last of them avert their attention, the Thunderer turns to his friend and adds quietly: “Still, you shouldn't be as ostentatious.”

„Why? We love each other. We're not doing anything wrong.”

“People will talk.”

“So what? If they have a problem, I will gladly discuss it with them. Besides, we've been together for months now, no one should be surprised.”

Thor gives out exasperated huff and Loki can almost sympathize.

“You're not the only one affected, Tony, I'm trying to protect my brother here...”

“Who calls you a bully and claims that you never did anything good for him, so, you know. Maybe it's time to rethink your behavior.”

Thor sighs even more exasperatedly than before and looks at Loki.

“Is that what you think?”

Loki turns his head and bites his lips. He does, but he also knows too well that saying it will get him nowhere. It was easy to yell at Thor yesterday, when Loki was already aggravated, but now his anger has waned, and to be honest, he feels a bit ashamed for his outburst.

Well, it's not like he's going to admit it.

“Don't worry, Thor,” he says instead. “When the construction is ready, I'll leave Asgard and never come back. You won't have to feel ashamed for me anymore.”

Thor doesn't say anything, just stares at him intensely with pursed lips and slightly knitted brows and Loki hesitates. But then he reaches out to grab Stark's hand a squeeze it tightly. “But as long as I stay here, I will be with Tony, because he shows me more regard than everyone in Asgard combined.”

His lover's presence gives him courage, but he still can't help squaring his shoulders and bracing for a blow. Thor doesn't approve it, he knows. The question is, does he still feel enough connection to Loki to feel personally dishonored by his life choices...

“You can stay,” comes finally. Loki looks at Thor incredulously. The king doesn't seem fully convinced, with weird twist on his lips and only eye looking away, as if too embarrassed to look at any of them. But he presses on: “I'm not a monster, Loki. I... do want you to be happy. I never thought that this will be what it takes, but many things are not what I thought they would be. In the end Tony is my friend and you are my brother and he's definitely better than some of your previous choices, so... Maybe it really is a time for us to change.”

“I...”

“And know that if he ever breaks your heart, I will break his legs.”

This comes out with even less conviction than his previous statement and Loki realizes that... Thor is trying. To do what he's never done before: to fight for him. Bah, he's willing to sacrifice his family's honor and his own long-held convictions, to get on Loki's good side. And for a moment, against everything...

It's a trap, whispers dark voice in the back of his head.

“Dully noted,” states Tony.

* * *

As decided, Loki sends Thor and a group of dwarfs to Nidavellir. They return in the evening, carrying a large, rectangular pack wrapped in burlap. But Thor's state after the voyage makes Loki frown.

“You changed,” he notices dryly. Indeed, Thor is wearing nothing but leather trousers and plain tunic. His armor – both leather cuirass and the scaly mail that tend to retreat into itself when it's not needed – is gone.

“Yes.” Thor rolls his arms, unused to the light fabric. “I had to sell my armor.”

These words make something in Loki's chest ache. The cuirass was a junk, changed too often to be paid any attention, but the scaly one was a gift from him: made of dragon scales and enchanted to always encompass Thunderer and protect him from every attack, physical and magical. But of course, it was high time for Thor to get rid of it. With his current power, it was a trinket more than anything and a remainder of a sentiment long dead. Honestly, Loki was surprised Thor has kept it for so long.

But then Thunderer steps aside, making way for dwarfs with their load and Loki feels that he doesn't understand anything after all.

The dwarfs are carrying a soulforge.

Thor gestures them towards the Thingstead. Loki feels his heart aching again, but for entirely different reasons.

“You didn't have to do this,” he says.

“Yes, I did.”

“You loved that armor.”

“I love you more. And I owe you. So get your ass inside and get yourself properly healed.”

* * *

That's not even the end of surprises for the day. The next one catches him behind the Thingstead, where he retreats looking for a respite. It takes a shape of a boy – seventy years at most, with somehow aquiline features and dark hair collected in a ponytail.

“My liege,” the boy starts gingerly. “Can I ask you for something?”

Loki shifts his position to look a bit more dignified. For a moment he feels the urge to send boy to Thor, but he can't bring himself to do it. Maybe it's his good mood or maybe something in the kid's stature: he stands with hunched shoulders, hand clasped behind his back and the way he shuffles his feet, as if readying to run, makes the prince bite his tongue.

“Of course. Ask away.”

The boy hesitates before speaking up.

“Can you... turn me into a woman?”

Loki freezes.

“Why?” he asks after a while, with voice slightly trembling. “Why would you even consider that?”

“I just...” The boy's face twists in anguish, deep blue eyes trailing across the sky, as if afraid to look at the prince. “I just don't want to be a man.”

“You don't know that,” Loki says calmly then gestures at the kid to sit beside him. “Come here. What is your name?”

“Ulli.”

“Ulli. Listen to me. The spell you ask me for is difficult and may prove irreversible. Especially since I won't be here for long in case you change your mind. And being a woman... Is hard. Being a man who turned into woman – even harder. Trust me on that. Look, you are still young. You don't know what fate holds for you. And, no offense, but you don't even know what it means to be a man. Soon you'll have your first birthday, you'll join enherjar. How about you wait until you grow up and then, if you'll still want to change, you'll ask another sorcerer?”

“What if I don't grow up?”

Loki frowns.

“What do you mean?”

“You said I will join einherjar. But einherjar are always first when it comes to fight. They are always first... to die.”

At that Loki feels his heart stopping. He looks at the boy again and suddenly recognizes him. He's one of the war orphans. And that means his whole family...

“I don't want to die,” the boy mewls with such a despair that it makes Loki's heart break. He reaches out to pull the boy into a tight hug.

“You're not gonna die,” he promises. The kid gives out a desperate sob.

“How do you know?”

“You will not become einherjar,” he states with absolute certainty. He's not even sure when he made that decision or where it came from. But he knows it's right. “I'll take you with me. I'll teach you magic, so you can change yourself if you want. And I'll keep you safe. No one... no one will hurt you, I swear.”

His words have finally taken an effect, because the boy calms down, though his breath is still raged and he still clings to Loki's shirt. After few more seconds he asks:

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

He pulls the boy even closer, pressing him to his chest, as if trying to stop his own heart from breaking free.

Tony was right.

There are people like him.

* * *

Many things change in the following weeks.

For start, people of Earth, understandably, demand Loki's head. It proves more entertaining than he thought.

Tribunals on Earth are much different than in Asgard. In Golden Realm there's just a king, who passes judgment and a lawspeaker to counsel, but anyone can come and voice their opinion, no matter how little it has to do with the matter at hand. Therefore, it's not uncommon for trials to last days, weeks or months and look not much different than a busy market, with people preaching, arguing, shouting over each other, sometimes even fighting.

On Earth, the whole affair is much more organized, though almost as lengthy. Mortals created a special tribunal, with representatives of countries mostly affected by Loki's invasion and few non-government organizations. There is a whole group designated to prosecute him and few responsible for defense. And if anyone from the outside wants to speak, they must apply for a permission and wait for their turn. 

It doesn't matter to Loki, he doesn't expect many people to speak for him.

Tony lives up to his promise and does exactly that, claiming the prince is reformed and harmless, but many people disregard his opinion because of personal interest.

Sad, but not unexpected.

Then Thor pushes Gamora to testify about Loki's time with the Titan and demands all charges to be dropped on account of coercion. Well, the Trickster suspects that it's also Stark discretely guiding his brother through the intricacies of Earth's juridical system. He'd rather expect Thunderer to just barge in and demand everyone do as he says, because he's son of Odin, god of thunder, king of Asgard and whatnot.

Loki's almost disappointed.

But then, to his surprise, Heimdall speaks up. He talks about the force that attacked them in space, how it can shield itself from his gaze and recalls that Loki was also not seen during the time between his fall and arrival on Earth. He points to the fact, that despite being hidden before, Loki exposed himself immediately after the arrival, as if encouraging Asgardians to intervene, perhaps stop him.

Took him long enough to notice, Loki thinks bitterly, but inside he's grateful for Watcher's advocacy.

Next is Eir, the royal healer, giving detailed account of Loki's personality before and after the attack and (with permission), confirming the presence of signs of torture on prince's body. After that, few other surviving court members step up to give their accounts on Loki's character and how unlike of him was to attack other Realm.

And when he thinks it's over, Brunnhilde steps up.

He wonders what she may have to say, knowing Loki only for such a short period of time, but in the beginning she doesn't speak of him at all.

Instead she recalls her youth: her duty in Odin's army. Battles. Wars. Conquest. Rivers red with blood, land heavy with corpses. Whole armies turned to dust. Villages and cities burned to the ground. Civilians slaughtered to make an example, children murdered so they can't grow to avenge their parents.

Then she recalls how she met Thor. How the first thing he said was that he always wanted to be a Valkyrie. How much it appalled her back then! But now it made sense: he is son of Odin, and so is Loki. Fighters like him. Conquerors. For them, battle means only glory and conquest is nothing but a king's duty and a privilege.

They were never taught to think about the ones they left in their wake.

But Thor is not a murderer, they protest. The king himself disagrees. He recalls his ill-fated trip to Jötunnheim and bodies he left behind over nothing more than an insult. And many others like this before. He cites his banishment as the thing that changed him the most.

Then they ask Loki what he thinks of it.

“I'm a warrior prince,” he admits. “I was taught to fight as soon as I was taught to write. And I've fought in... so many wars. The killing was never presented as something wrong. Bah, the only reason Thor was more revered, was because he was a better warrior than me, always ready for battle, always taking down more enemies than me. And I... never really took joy in that. Whether I fought for Asgard or for Thanos. I did what I thought was necessary. I thought... That everything I was doing, was justified, one way or another. That stopping Thanos – and keeping myself alive – was too important to hesitate, that lives that will be saved will outweigh the ones I had to take. Now... I'm not so sure.”

They still hesitate. Loki knows they thirst for revenge and even the best arguments are not enough to quench it. So he reaches for his ultimate weapon.

He points out to a couple of restrictions he made in treaties human governments agreed to sign. Mainly, the one that states that no Asgardian can be sentenced by earthly tribunal. Of course, since taking over as rightful king, Thor had to sign the treaties all over again, but he refused to make even the smallest change.

With no other choice, they let him go free.

Outside the courthouse, Loki meets his biggest surprise yet. The crowd of Asgardians gathered around the building, carrying banners with Asgard's and Loki's crests and various signs in both Asgardian runes and English. The slogans carried vary from simple 'Free Loki' to whole poems, so typical for Aesir.

“That's definitely Stark's idea,” he murmurs after recovering from shock. Living on Earth for few months, he became familiar with earthlings' ways of expressing their views, but he doubts his people had the same insight.

“Of course.” Brunnhilde looks at him with unreadable expression. “They wanted to march in and burn this place to the ground if the judges refused to let you go.”

* * *

The whole affair leaves Loki mystified. The behavior of the people can be easily explained by a national pride – after all, having their prince imprisoned or executed by mere mortals would bring shame to the whole nation. But Thor's support... Is unexpected. Frankly, it makes him feel a pang of guilt for his previous behavior, but he doesn't apologize. He had no reason to trust Thor. And the sooner Thunderer understands that, the better chances their relationship has.

Not that they're going to have any lasting relationship. Soon Loki's going away and they'll never see each other again. So it doesn't even matter.

In the meantime, Thor takes Loki's chair in Thingstead, along with most of the administrative and jurisdictional duties. That doesn't really change things, since some people still come to Loki, looking for judgment, advice or just advocating their cases. It doesn't matter how many times he points them to their rightful king, seems like whatever he would do, he just can't make them leave him in peace.

Regardless, he does have much more free time on his hands, which should theoretically allow him to spend more of it on construction. But to his utter dismay, he realizes that he's just not up to it. Continuous use of magic starts taking its toll: he's tired and irritable and focusing on anything is getting harder and harder every day. He doesn't experience any more attacks, but all the healing doesn't manage to banish shaking from his hands. Even his sleep is uneasy and plagued by nightmares.

Thor's presence isn't helping. Loki tries to avoid him as much as possible, but the other seems determined to seek his company, asking for advice in the most trivial matters and forcing small and awkward conversations that leave Loki even more shaken.

His only respite comes at the moments he can spend with either Tony or Freyja's daughters.

* * *

It's when Tony comes back from another mission – fighting a terrorist group that everyone thought was a part of Hydra, but turned out to be just a bunch of assholes – that he finally meets them.

Loki, as always, is near the forge, but he isn't working. He sits on a rock, with both arms wrapped around the most gorgeous women Tony has ever seen (excluding maybe Leikný). They, in return, embrace him and for a moment Tony feels a pang of jealousy, but he quickly realizes that there's absolutely nothing sexual going on between them. They chat, joke and laugh, but there's almost a child-like innocence in every move they make. And there's a spark in Loki's eyes that Tony has never seen before.

He approaches, interrupting a burst of laughter and driving their gazes to himself. Up closer, there can be no doubt. Trickster is smiling widely, but it's not the venomous smile from the time of invasion nor small, sad smile he graced Tony as queen Leikný. No, for the first time ever Tony sees Trickster... happy. The jealousy returns, stronger than before.

“Tony,” Loki welcomes, not standing up. “Come, meet my friends. This is Hnoss, and this is Gersemi, daughters of Freyja.”

Even if he hasn't mention it, there could be no doubt that the girls are sisters. They have almost identical, heart-shaped faces with almost perfectly symmetrical features. Their complexions are equally bright and lips equally rosy, and only the hue of almond-shaped eyes allow distinction: Hnoss' are pale blue like a summer sky, while Gersemi's are deep green, like a forest groove, shadowed by long eyelashes. They both wear long dresses of clearly alien cut – though somehow different than the ones worn by the rest of Asgardians – with far too many layers and colors matching their eyes, with black and silver ornaments and their strawberry blond hair are collected into loose braids.

And although Tony always shunned such cheap quasi-romantic expressions, they seem to quite literally _glow_ – and what's more, some of their light spreads to Loki, who normally looks paler and more gaunt every day since Thor's return.

Tony decides that he hates those girls. Despite that, he flashes them the most charming smile and asks with his usual nonchalance:

“Was you mother a goddess of beauty?”

The one called Hnoss snorts.

“You've read Eddas,” she says flatly. Her voice is deep and sensual and despite her obvious lack of enthusiasm, it makes something stir inside Tony.

“I was trying to pay a compliment,” he corrects with a pout. He still hasn't read Eddas. He watched the whole of 'Der Ring des Nibelungen', that's almost the same, right?

Only now does he realize that there's no space for him on the rock. And no one seems eager to let him in. For the first time in his life, Tony feels... uncomfortable.

“Don't be like that,” speaks Gersemi. Her voice, though equally sensual, is softer and tone friendlier. She also seems more clingy, almost laying on Loki's shoulder. “He's Loki's boyfriend.”

“Oh, right.” Hnoss looks at him with a newly sparked interest. “I've heard about what you've done. Very brave. Thor smashed all previous Loki's lovers.”

“He did not,” scolds Gersemi.

“Well, he would if he knew about them...”

“Um, yeah, we have a special understanding with Thor,” Tony tries to return to conversation.

“Yes,” Hnoss nods. “And with Loki. I honestly don't know how you do it. They're like fire and ice.”

“But we're glad you do,” slips Gersemi. “Maybe you'll be able to help them understand each other a little better.”

Tony nods. Frankly, it's what he's trying to do. But for now something else occupies his mind.

“So, how did you guys get to know each other?” he asks, looking at them expectedly.

“We studied together,” says Gersemi and mischievous smile creeps upon her lips.

“Yes,” Loki nods, also smiling. “Since their mother discovered me sneaking up on them through secret passages.”

“Oh, she always knew you were there,” hushes him Hnoss. Loki looks at her, startled and seemingly hurt.

“No, she did not,” he protests weakly and the girls scoff in unison.

“Of course she did. She just thought you're going to do something stupid one day, like set yourself on fire, and would have to run for help.”

“I think the fact that you didn't do that impressed her enough to invite you in.”

“That and that you never used those secret passages to spy on us when we were bathing.”

Loki bows his head and blushes. Blushes! Like a teenager caught with a love letter. Tony can't believe his own eyes. Is that really Loki? The same Loki that switches his form from man to woman on a whim, has two relationships with two people of different genders and brags publicly about having a giant dick? That Loki?!

“I would never dare,” he blurts. “I have too much respect for you...”

The sisters burst into laughter, then Gersemi leans in to kiss Loki's cheek, making him blush even harder.

“Oh, Loki, you're as sweet as a golden apple,” she purrs mirthfully.

“It's a shame, though,” slips Hnoss. “We put quite a mean spells around the bathroom and never got a chance to test them.”

“Now I regret not going there to see them for myself,” Loki speaks, finally regaining a bit of his own mirth. “When it was unoccupied, of course,” he adds quickly and girls giggle again.

Oh, this is getting absurd. 

“So, where have you guys been?” asks Tony, desperate to stop this farce. He tries to convince himself that he's not jealous, but... Seeing Loki like that... Happy. Honest with his feelings. Fucking blushing!

He's never like that around Tony. He's never like that around anyone else. Who the fuck are those girls?

The giggle stops immediately and he realizes that some of his aversion must have bleed through. He suddenly feels like an asshole.

“We left to continue our studies in Vanaheim,” says Hnoss and a strange longing appears in Loki's eyes.

“You'd love it here,” slips Gersemi, looking at the Trickster. “There's a library bigger than your royal castle. Laboratories, observatories...”

“In a way I understand, why Odin didn't let you go with us,” adds Hnoss. “In there... people think differently. They would teach you to question things... And that old goat couldn't have that.”

“Hnoss!” Gersemi exclaims with shock, but her sister remains unapologetic.

“What? It's true! In Asgard his word is the law, but in Vanaheim people still remember how he got his power. You know that some still call him The God of Battle, The Spear Shaker, The Terrible One. True, he mellowed in his old days. Still, it was his doing to proclaim seidr-using ergi. Did you even know that?” She turns to Loki. “Before that, apparently, magic was common among Asgardian males and females. But he couldn't stand the thought that someone could gain as much power as him. He knew that forbidding it will only make it more appealing so he made it shameful instead.”

“Bold move, for a magic user,” says Gersemi dryly.

“Yes.” Hnoss nods. “I bet they didn't mention that in Asgardian history books?” She pokes Loki, who looks pale and solemn now, all traces of mirth gone from his face. Tony can't imagine what's going on in his head. Even he feels a bit sick upon hearing that and he wasn't the one who had to deal with thousand years of prejudice.

Fucking bastard. If Odin was still alive, Tony would build his own Bifröst just to go to Asgard and punch him in a dick.

Loki clears his throat before answering.

“No... no, they don't.”

Gersemi pats him on s shoulder in what could be taken for patronizing in any other circumstances, but now seems like a genuine concern. Hnoss doesn't seem to notice, with suddenly darkened expression, as if struck by a sudden thought.

“Who knows...” she adds thoughtfully. “Perhaps you would even discover your true parentage.”

To that Loki stiffens and pales even more before turning his head to look at her.

“You knew,” he says or asks, hard to say. The woman only nods.

“Yes, we felt... something was different with you. Our mother showed us how to perform special spells and we discovered that you're not Odin and Frigga's biological child. That you're not even fully As.”

“I'm not As at all.”

She shakes her head.

“No, you are half-As.”

“How is that possible?” He looks genuinely surprised and Tony wonders how come he still doesn't knew everything about his parentage. He figures it was pointless to ask Odin, but didn't he do his own research? Couldn't at least try to find his real parents? Tony knows that he would never stop until he knew everything, but perhaps... Loki has reasons to avoid the topic. And his next word seem to suggest just that: “What As would lay with... Jötunn?”

Hnoss waves her hand dismissively.

“Oh, your nations used to be a lot closer. Before Odin's conquests sowed fear in hearts of other races and pushed them... to certain unwise moves. But long ago, marriages between Aesir and Jötnar weren't unheard of. There are rumors that even Odin was quarter-Jötunn.”

A slight blush creeps on Loki's cheeks and his eyes turn wide and glassy. His lips part, trembling.

“You never knew... He didn't even tell you that,” Gersemi muses, but there's a genuine regret and sympathy in her voice as she grabs his hand and squeezes it gently. Loki looks down, but his eyes are glassy, unseeing.

“Loki, look at me,” commands Hnoss and Trickster obeys. “Odin was a liar and a hypocrite. I know you grew up admiring him. But it's time to stop. You can't let him ruin your life anymore. You can't let him hold you back.”

“Just treat it as one more reason to leave this miserable cesspool behind,” adds Gersemi and that sparks Tony's interest again.

“I thought you wanted him to get along with Thor again.”

“We do.” Hnoss nods. “From afar.”

“Preferably from Vanaheim.” Gersemi smiles widely and Loki responds with small, awkward, but genuine smile. “I'm telling you, it's so much different than Asgard. You'll feel like home at no time.”

“I don't doubt that,” Loki answers softly and Tony feels sudden tightness in his throat.

* * *

It's been eight months since the crash and now the base of Asgard is complete. It floats majestically above the surface of the Norwegian Sea, even without the help of Loki's magic. The only things left are filling it with ground, shaping the surface, planting forest, building the city, castle and the walls and installing the shield. With the help of the Tesseract giant cargo ships come from Alfheim and Nidavellir every day, filled with construction materials and the best top soil mixed by elvish seithis to provide maximum yield. But most of the work is still done by dwarfs and elves.

That leaves Loki with even more free time and since winter is over, he uses it to restore his garden. He almost forgot how much joy tending to plants brings him. It's not a manly job, even barely acceptable for a noble woman, but he doesn't care.

It has a side effect though, when a group of children takes interest and decides to follow him. Before he knows it, he joins the ranks of unofficial teachers and caregivers that look after them when their parents are busy. Schooling system still follows proud Asgardian tradition of letting kids play and hope for the best. Something he thinks can be improved upon.

To his surprise, he finds unexpected delight in sitting in a shade of fruit trees, surrounded by children, telling stories from the old days. Some are educational, others are not. Sometimes he slips lessons of botany or magic and rejoices in children of both sex displaying equal enthusiasm, free of their parents prejudice.

On this day, though, they're merely relaxing. He tells the story, one of the favorites, both his and kids'. It's the one about him slaughtering a dragon then eating its heart to posses control over fire. In the story, he returns to Asgard, proudly carrying the beast's head and then hangs it in The Great Hall.

And then Thor shows up.

“You can't say a single word of truth,” he laughs and Loki feels a slight blush creeping on his cheeks. “You were so beaten than I had to carry you on my own back. Though you were pretty determined to crawl straight into the lake of fire.”

“It's just a story, Thor,” protests Loki, trying to hide his exasperation. The king, on the other hand, looks as smug as ever and Trickster feels a familiar itch in his hand. His dagger is just one gesture away...

“Well, it's false.”

“Like most of the stories. I would love to hear you admitting to getting my help in one of our adventures...”

“I can't think of any.”

Thor's tone is clearly mocking and Loki feels his fists clenching.

“How about the one when you aggravated a storm giants and I had to summon a mist to hide us when we made our way out?” he hisses, but his voice is strangely collected. “Or that time when I created a decoys for the trolls to throw rocks at when we snuck behind them? Or when I made our paltry band look five times bigger, prompting the leader of Vanir rebels to surrender?!”

“I had these situations under control!”

At this moment Loki really wants to jump at Thor and stab him in his black, rotten heart, but he doesn't get the chance. Tony Stark, who until now was content to just stand behind and listen, now steps forth, clearly not as controlled as Loki.

“Oh, for fuck's sake.” Hearing the familiar tone the god feels a strange warmth spreading in his chest. His fists immediately unclench. “That's the moment you say: yes, brother, thank you for saving my stupid ass. Or let Loki have his story. Either you both lie for the sake of artistic license or none of you.”

“It's just Loki...”

“It's your beloved brother. Show some respect!”

Thor opens his mouth to respond, but Loki snickers and the king shuts it with almost audible click.

“I'm sorry,” he admits after a while, but Loki doesn't let him continue.

“Whatever.” He stands up. “Story's over, kids. You can ask Thor, maybe he can tell you about that time I bended for a horse. That's everyone's favorite...”

He can no longer keep the bitterness from his voice, so he just shuts up and leaves. And yet Tony follows him.

“So, what really happened with the dragon?” he asks when they're out of earshot. Loki sighs. Anger still boils in his chest, mixed with hurt and disappointment, but Tony's presence makes talking easier.

“It burned my face off with its dying breath. Thor choose that moment to show up and rescue me.”

“Uh, well... Good thing he did?”

Loki gives out an exasperated sigh.

“I just wish he wasn't such an ass about it.”

“Well, he did it.”

Loki stands so abruptly that the mortal almost bumps into him. The god turns to look him into the eye, putting all of his frustration and anger into that look.

“It was supposed to be my day of glory. I could come back to Asgard victorious...”

“Uh, no, you couldn't?”

“And he stole it from me.”

“I'm sure he was more concerned about you than the glory...”

“If he was concerned about me, he would have come when I asked him!” He picks up his walking until they leave the groove and exit into the camp.

“And he say no?”

“He was saying 'later'. For a year. Until I lost my patience and did it myself.”

“Tried doing it yourself...”

“I was fine!” He waves his hand angrily. “I killed the beast. I would come back on my own, sooner or later. I didn't need him... He never helped me anyway, so why would I need him?!”

Tears prickle his eyes but he blinks them away. It's not just about this incident, there were thousand of others like this: Thor was always the first to seek help and the last to grant it. And now it all comes back to Loki, refusal after refusal, betrayal after betrayal, too many to count, to remember even.

At his side, Tony sighs.

“Okay, fine!” He lifts hands in a placating gesture. “But in the end he came for you because he cared enough not to want to see you dead. And least give him that.”

Loki huffs, but in the end he has to give in. There was a time when, in his own way, Thor did care. When he wouldn't leave Loki to die.

And that time is over, he realizes, because he pushed Thor too far. It was his fault, he has no doubt about that now and he can even pinpoint the exact moment when everything went irreversibly wrong. No, it wasn't when he tried to fight Thor or kill his friends. Not even when he tried to conquer his beloved world.

It was when he faked his death on Svartalfheim. Back then he thought he has no choice. No matter how well they were getting along, after all was done Thor would lock him away and never come back. The only chance to gain freedom was to cheat his way to it. But above all, he wanted to prove that Thor still believed him to be his brother. He wanted to see the genuine care, even if only in mourning.

He didn't realize then, that in the process he will break Thor's love for good. He never expected that his brother may bury him, mourn him – and move on. That he may simply learn to live without Loki...

“Fine,” he says fighting tightness rising in his throat then turns away and leaves. This time Tony doesn't follow him.

* * *

Loki locks himself up in his chamber and refuses to see anyone for the rest of the day. Tony shrugs, understanding the need to be alone better that he'd like to admit and then, having nothing better to do, decides to work on a Commodore for a bit. But Thor finds him not long after and pulls him for a chat.

“How do you do it?” the god inquires. He's visibly uncomfortable, arms crossed against his chest and gaze wandering around the ship, carefully avoiding the man in front of him. For a moment Tony doesn't say anything, not sure what Thor is referring to, so the king clears his throat and continues: “My brother... Has changed since he came here. And I think most of it is because of you. You can speak with him like no one I've ever seen. So... how do you do it?”

For that Tony throws his wrench, maybe a bit stronger than he wanted to, and stands up from his spot.

“Well, Thor,” he starts with fake lightness in his voice. “Have you tied... not treating him like shit?”

Thor snaps and finally focuses on his conversationalist.

“What do you mean?”

To that, Tony drops all of his pretenses. When he speaks, his voice is as hard as steel: “He says that all his life you were just beating, mocking and pushing him around. And I saw the way your people treated him when they first landed. Made me stop wondering, why he tried to kill everybody.”

“Loki did us a lot of harm...”

“And you never tried to think why?” Thor looks at him with an utter incomprehension on his face and Tony has to fight the urge to throw something at him. So it's exactly what he expected. They were all peachy, Loki just went crazy and evil all of a sudden, because of, I don't know, innate fault in his character?

He sighs, realizing that throwing stuff won't solve anything. “Look, I got to know Loki a little bit better since he landed. He's not evil. Not innate, anyway. He's just... found himself in a place where it didn't matter what he did, since he though he was damned anyway. So he didn't have a reason to care or try or do anything for anyone. If he tried to kill you or help you... The result would be all the same.”

Thor turns towards him with stubborn look and arms crossed.

“It was not true, you know that...”

“I don't. I don't know how your lives looked in the past, I wasn't there. I only know what you both told me. And I see some pretty fucking big discrepancies. And some pretty nasty shit, if you ask me. Like that stunt on Sakaar.”

To that Thor purses his lips, his eye harden with a mix of defiance and stubbornness.

“I already apologized for that. And he came back in the end. He was ready to stay before we came here...”

“And you wondered why?” Tony snaps, no longer able to hold his anger. “It's not because he was struck by a sudden love for you, that's for sure. He just realized that there's no way for him to come on top. He didn't reconcile with you, he surrendered. And if he changed his mind afterwards... It's only because I let him know that he can still be happy. Sorry about that!”

Thor huffs, but apparently something finally gets through his thick skull because his face softens and the look he sends Tony is almost pleading.

“I'm sorry.”

“I'm not the one you should apologize to, you know...”

Thor sighs.

“I know. I just...”

“You have something to say about what the hell were you thinking?”

Thunderer slowly shakes his head. 

“I don't know. Hela was threatening us all and I just wanted to get back to Asgard, I didn't have time to deal with Loki trying to stab me in the back...”

“You should just kill him.”

Thor sends him a hurtful look.

“I would never do it...”

“Well, how is what you did better?!”

Thor doesn't answer. Tony sighs.

“I'm sorry,” he says. “I know that you care for him... In your own way. What I'm saying is that it's not enough. Not anymore. Perhaps never was. The love you feel for him is... selfish. You want him by your side, but you never considered what he may want.”

“I told him we should part own ways...”

“Caring for someone doesn't mean pushing them away. Sometimes it means supporting them. Being there for them when they need help.”

Thor bows his head and for a moment he doesn't answer, pondering what he just heard.

“So what do you suggest?” he asks finally.

“Talk to him. Listen to him. Try to understand him, his feelings, his point of view. Stop brushing his worries aside, like they don't matter. Look, as I said, he's not evil or crazy, he's just... He just needs a little light, you know?”

A small, sad smile dances on Thor's lips and Tony can't help to notice how much alike the brothers are. If only they could be bothered to notice it...

“Mother always said she taught him magic in hopes of him finding a little light,” says Thor with strange tenderness, sparking Tony's curiosity.

“How did that work out?”

“Not great.” The god shrugs. “Magic isn't considered a manly pursuit. And Loki's preferences didn't help.”

“What's wrong with being unmalny?”

“It's the worst thing you can call someone. You can get challenged to duel over it.”

“Why?”

“I don't know. It just it.”

“I think it's bullshit.”

“Maybe. But it is what it is. Look, I love Loki, no matter who he is...”

“Sure, you just don't accept him.”

“I do what I can, it's not my fault that Loki's so difficult. What do you want from me?”

“I already told you.” Thor gives an exasperated huff and Tony feels a beginning of a headache. His friend really is an idiot sometimes. “Look, just say 'thank you' once in a while,” he proposes, wanting nothing but to get rid of the man and come back to work. “See what happens.”

* * *

It takes a lot of patience to wait for Loki to leave his den, but finally he does come out to dine on the back of the Thingstead, looking at the ocean and Thor corners him there. Loki tenses when he senses the other one approaching and his face gets completely blank. No happiness, no fear, nothing. For some reason it hurts Thor more than outright hatred.

“Hi,” the king says, sitting at Loki's side, trying to break the ice.

“What do you want?” is the only answer he gets, spoken in a tone completely devoid of emotion. Despite his best intentions, Thor pouts.

“Can't I just come to talk?”

“You come to me when you want something. Just speak.”

The Thunderer sighs. It's harder than he thought.

“I wanted to apologize.”

“Thor.” Loki shakes his head. “Don't...”

“Look, I'm sorry...”

“You're not. And I'm not interested in hearing whatever it is that you think I want to hear.”

“I don't want to say anything you want to hear. I want to say what needs to be said.”

Loki scoffs.

“Why?”

“Because we can't continue living like that.”

“We won't. I'm leaving soon enough.”

“So you made up your mind? When?”

“When you told me we're going to Earth.”

Thor gives out exasperated huff.

“I promised it will be all right and it is...”

“No thanks to you!”

“I defended you, what else do you want?!”

“It doesn't matter,” Loki almost spits and despite himself Thor feels a slight pang of satisfaction about getting some sign of emotions. “The sheer fact that you were so eager to come here, completely ignoring my objections, shows clearly how much you care for me. My feelings, my opinions, whether I live or die – it's nothing. You want to come to Earth, you're gonna come to Earth. And woe be to whomever stands in your way.”

“It's not true and you know it.” Loki doesn't say anything, so Thor huffs again before speaking: “So you're planning to hate me for the rest of our lives?”

“What do you care about my, as you once called them, imagined slights?”

Thor opens his mouth to protest, but then remembers what Stark told him. He hesitates, but then he thinks... His usual methods failed so far. Maybe it's time to try something new.

“All right, I'm sorry.” he says, earning only a dirty glance. “I see now how much I hurt you by never considering your feeling. And maybe... Maybe you have a right to hate me.”

At his side, his brother huffs.

“I don't hate you, you oaf,” he grumbles, but with no real anger and Thor realizes he's on a good way.

“Then you have no real reason to leave,” he exclaims with sort of meek joviality, but Loki only sends him another glance, even dirtier than the last one. 

“I also have no reason to stay,” he points out.

“Sure you do! It's your country as much as mine.” He turns away to where the metal behemoth hovers above the ocean. “Even more, since you're the one who builds it...”

“Will it matter when you ascend the throne?” Loki cuts him short and Thor deflates. He turns back to Loki but his brother is not looking at him, his eyes glued to now empty bowl he still holds in his hands, his arms tense and knuckles white with strain. Thor reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Of course it will,” he says softly, but before he can continue, Loki snaps:

“Just like all of my other achievements?”

The Thunderer takes his hand, momentarily taken aback. But quickly he collects himself.

“No, Loki, I... I was just jesting before. I didn't mean to upset you so much...”

“You never mean to,” Loki scoffs. “You just keep doing that...”

“Then I'll stop!” The words are almost shouted, but then Thor collects himself and adds more gently: “I learned my lesson, Loki. I'm not the man you learned to hate, I changed...”

“You keep saying that,” Loki almost spits and Thor looks at him with pain and incomprehension. But then the Trickster sighs and apparently regaining his composition, begins explaining: “When there's a time to make a choice, you always chose yourself.” The king wants to protest, but Loki stands up, silencing him. “You knew of Odin's failings as a king, and yet you left Asgard with him and no apparent heir. You may say that I was a shitty ruler, but at least I didn't run away at first sight of responsibility. I stayed. I did my best. All while you played hero with your mortal friends. And then ran away even from them to chase Infinity Stones rather than come and ask the only person who could have helped.” Thor feels a slight heat creeping up his cheeks, but Loki isn't even finished yet. “When Hela took over Asgard, all you could think about was stopping her, but you didn't spare a thought to people trapped between you two. You never though about protecting them from the enemy, taking them out from the harm's way. You had a battle to fight, you couldn't be bothered. If I didn't bring that ship, they would all die, all because you can only think of yourself. And after I helped you, risking my own life in the process, you insisted on coming to Earth, where I could expect nothing but trial and prosecution, only because you have friends here. No, Thor. Maybe you've changed, but you're still not a good man or the one I could put my trust in.”

Thor, who at some point also stood up, now drops his head and ponders Loki's words in silence. A part of him wants to protest – he knows that Loki often says thinks meant only to hurt, usually to draw attention away from his own faults or hide his own pain. And it would be easy, oh so easy, to ignore him, brush his words aside as the poisonous slander.

But then he realizes that in recent years – centuries maybe – it became all to easy for him to disregard his brother, to the point when he didn't even try to listen, automatically assuming all of his words were lies. And perhaps... Perhaps that became one of the reasons for their falling out. So now he tries to listen, to understand where his brother's coming from and finally...

“You have a point,” he admits. “But not exactly. I care about people, I wish I could spare everyone... But I'm not good at planning and predicting the outcome of my actions. See, I'm so used to solve all of my problems by fighting and to have everything working my way, that it's hard for me to understand why people are reserved. You on the other hand.” He swings his hand to clasp Loki on the shoulder so hard that the Trickster sways. “Don't care about people, but are good at scheming and predicting.” Big smile spreads on Thor's face. “See, brother, we complement each other perfectly!”

Loki scoffs and his lips twist into an ugly smile.

“So that's what this is all about...”

“What?” Thor asks, genuinely puzzled. “You have a point. I'm a warrior and a leader, but being king is much more than that. And in a way...” He looks into Loki's eyes with the most solemn expression before continuing: “I did mean it when I say that you would be better at this than me.”

The anger in Loki's eyes flicker and vanishes, turning into something intangible. For a moment the Trickster looks at Thor's face, as if looking for some sign of mockery, but the king does what he can to keep his expression as earnest as possible. Finally Loki's face straightens and Trickster turns away and sighs.

“Thor, don't you see it? If I stay we'll just... keep hurting each other until nothing remains. It's better if I go. And you will find someone in my place. You have a knack for it.” The last part bears more bitterness that he probably wanted to show but Thor doesn't let it deter him.

“It took me a lot of effort to teach myself that,” He says after a while with strange rasp in his voice. Loki looks at him with a new interest. “To make people want to follow me. Do you want to know why I did it?”

“No,” Loki replies straight away, but his voice bear no conviction and the curiosity still sparks in his eyes even though he turns his head away to hide it.

“I'm gonna tell you anyway. Because everyone expected that. I was the crown prince, of course I had to be brave, courageous, honorable and charismatic. Even you looked at me with such an admiration! I couldn't bear the thought of failing you.”

Loki doesn't look at him, but his Adam's apple jumps and there's a strange shine to his eyes.

“Well,” he clears his throat. “Now you're gonna need that mask more than ever before.”

“No.” Thor shakes his head. “No more masks. Father had all the masks, how well did that work for him?”

“He conquered or destroyed all of the Nine Realms, rewrote the history to present himself as benevolent god and ruled them for the rest of his life.”

“Breaking apart his whole family in the process. No, Loki. The price was too high. And we can't change what was done, but we can learn from it. We cannot make the same mistakes. That's why I want... I need you to know that I am grateful. For everything you did for me. Even if often I'm too much of an ass to admit it. And I wanted you to know that I do admire what you did here. Believe it or not, but I was worried when we parted. I worried if you made it to Earth. And even if, what happened to you. I knew it's not the best place for you to be, but I intended with all my heart to protect you. But then we were separated and that almost... drove me mad. But you did good.” A soft smile forms on his lips and Loki swallows heavily. “Not only survived, but started to rebuild. I am proud. I'm sure father would be as well.”

For a moment he doesn't answer. But when he does his voice is rasp and his eyes carefully avoiding Thor's:

“For what it's worth, I am sorry too. I thought... After the fall, I though there's no coming back for me. I wasn't sure if there's anything to come back to. The only way was down...”

“That was never true,” Thor tries his best to sound soft, thinking of all the other occasion when he should, but didn't. “I guess I was never really forthcoming about that.”

He falls silent. Loki doesn't seem eager to speak either so for a moment they stand in silence, staring at the ocean below, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Thor pats Loki on a shoulder and says his goodbye:

“I'm not gonna bother you anymore. Think about what we talked about.”

Just before he disappears behind the corner, he hears foot connecting with a wooden bown and moment later the splash of a dish falling into waves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, chapter 6 is out. Chpter 7 is with my Beta while I'm working on chapters 8 and 9. Now I feel a bit sad knowing it's coming to an end...
> 
> Anyway, I made some changes to this chapter after I got it back from my Beta, so all the mistakes are probably mine. If you see something that bothers you, feel free to point it out.


	7. Obligations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroes face both old and new acquaintances.

Barely few days pass since the end of the trial, when Loki receives an invitation to a Thing-meeting. At first he's surprised – he made it clear that he's completely ready to cede all of his responsibilities to Thor. When he enters Thingstead, he understands though. Because beside Thor and the councilors gathers a small crowd of Aesir, Vanir, elves and dwarfs. Some Loki recognizes, others he's never seen before. But it doesn't take him long to realize who they are: ambassadors from other Realms.

Loki sighs theatrically.

“I leave the Tesseract with you for five minutes and you already abuse it,” he jests but no one seems amused. Thor only frowns.

“Can you tell me, why in your whole time as a Regent you never addressed the most important issue?” asks the king. “Ensuring Asgard protection over Nine Realms?”

Not waiting for invitation, Loki waves his hand, bringing new chair to existence and sits opposite Thor with arms crossed and legs spread: a perfect picture of confidence.

“Because the only right Asgard has to claim protection is by military force,” he retorts, cocking his head slightly. “And as of yet, we don't have any.”

Thor's frown deepens.

“What do you mean?”

Loki sighs. He can't really blame Thor though: he is so used to having Asgard as 'protector of Nine Realms' that he can't even imagine it being anything else. Of course Odin's rule was nothing but blessing and of course, it should be reinstated as soon as possible. For common good. And Thor is ready to fight every threat to the Realms with his bare hands, not realizing that the biggest one is him.

But it's all right: Loki was the same not so long ago.

“I know, all of our lives you treated Odin as benevolent Allfather and his rule over Realms as benediction,” he says, fully aware that Thor's faith crumbled in the last months. “But many people would rather call it 'occupation'. Some would even say 'tyranny'.”

Thor leans back, as if struck, his eyes widen in shock and Loki can't hold a smirk. Oh, the king's matured enough to doubt his father, all right. He's just still not used to anyone else doing the same. Not so strongly at least and definitely not publicly.

“How would you know that?”

“Because I spent over a year in a cell next to them.”

He's very proud that his voice doesn't tremble a bit, even though his stomach turns at the memory.

“Them!” Thor's face contorts into a clear disdain and Loki feels as he was punched. On some level he understands that Thor's disdain is not aimed at him, just... the people he find himself amongst. And he was sort of equaled with. After all, Thor seemed all too happy to leave him to rot among them for the rest of his life... “Rebels and marauders...”

Thor's words somehow break through his spiraling emotion and bring him back to present moment.

“Fighters for freedom, Thor,” he retorts, not even waiting for the king to finish. “For independence.”

“They're minority!”

“True.” Loki shrugs. “But there's still a lot of them. And many more who would not dare to oppose Odin's rule when faced with a threat of einherjar foray. But when a word spreads about Asgard's impotence, what do you think will happen? Unrest is on the rise. If we tried to intervene, it would only make things worse. Even if majority remained loyal, which I doubt, it would only create a rift among people, rebellions would rise, civil wars maybe. And when this happens, there is nothing you can do, because, and I can't stress this enough, you don't even have an army. And you can't possibly think you can fight all the marauders across all the Nine Realms by yourself.”

He looks at Thor in a way, he hopes, that conveys what he thinks about such expectations. The king huffs and crosses his arms, but something in his face softens and Loki thinks that his message got through.

“So what do you suggest?” he asks softly. Clearly, the idea of abandoning all Realms doesn't sit well with him, even after accepting that his previous role can't be restored. And to be honest, Loki doesn't like it either. He put a lot of thought trying to find a solution that would satisfy most people and yet he hesitates, not sure how much his words will matter. Everyone is looking at him expectantly though, so he gives it a shot.

“An alliance.” Silence that follows could be cut with a knife. Loki waits a moment to let his words sink in, but when no one reacts he starts to explain: “An union of independent kingdoms. Each with it's own government, laws, military, economy. Connected only by a promises of peace and support in times of crisis, both military and, as mortals call it, humanitarian. Free exchange of people, goods and ideas.”

“I'm not sure something like that can work...” starts an elder man with a long, white beard and sharp blue eyes. Adisl, Loki remembers, Asgardian ambassador in Alhfeim. The prince had a passing tryst with his daughter once, earning himself a lifelong hatred from the man, so he's not surprised that the first objection came from him.

“It does,” Loki reassures. “Here on Earth, many countries are members of such union.” Many unions, in fact. Having to navigate earthly politics, Loki had to acquaint himself with all the organizations with even slight amount of power, be it governments or others, and well, the sheer amount of them made him wonder why they don't just ditch it all and unite for good. And that's even without taking into the account the citizens, who hold a surprising – for Asgardian – amount of control. “It's... well, I think we can work out the details.” He waves his hand dismissively. “But I think it would certainly be more acceptable for people of other Realms while still giving us all the benefits of empire.”

“Except taxes,” murmurs Arnar.

“Taxes are the thing most people oppose in the first place,” he says not even gracing the general with a look. “I think it's about time Asgard finds another source of income than ripping off other Realms.”

“Don't speak like that about our country,” warns Thor and Loki loses it.

“Why not? Am I not right? Think, Thor, and you'll agree with me. You saw Hela, you heard what she said. And if you spoke with the people you so gleefully put in my company, you would know the same thing I'm telling you. Odin was not a good man and not a good king for anyone outside Asgard. You claim to be better? Then don't be like him.”

Thor lowers his head and for a moment no one speaks. Even Loki is surprised by his outburst and half expects Thor to act against everything he said and beat him to a pulp. But the king doesn't do that. When he raises his head again, tears shine in his eye.

“You are right,” he says silently before turning to the crowd. “Tell me, ambassadors, does Loki say the truth? Are sentiments in your realms really so strongly against Asgard?”

There's another moment of silence.

“I think political unrest greatly diminished during last years of Odin's rule,” admits ambassador of Vanaheim: short, stout man, whose wide face with strikingly hooked nose and dark, deep-seated eyes make him look like an owl – an impression somehow amplified by his deep, booming voice.

“Which was indeed Loki's rule,” adds Heimdall.

“Perhaps,” admits Vanr. “Whoever it was, he was more appeasing. The taxes were lowered, treaties re-negotiated. Many people felt like they were being heard, which wasn't always the case in the previous years...”

Loki catches Thor's careful gaze and fight the urge to scoff. Yes, Thunderer caught him at his time of leisure, but it doesn't mean that he did nothing for the crown. He did a lot to both rebuild Asgard after recent wars and secure peace with other Realms. Oh, he wasn't only acting out of good will: he has no talent for war and even less love for it. He just wanted to get it over with before Asgardians started wondering when did their king become so incompetent and if he had to make a few compromises, well, Asgard could take that. It's true, he didn't anticipate the threat posed by Surtur. But Surtur has been dormant for centuries! Even Thor wouldn't know about him if he hadn't been plagued by visions.

But sure, whatever bad has happened, blame it on Loki.

“But I agree that keeping the existing arrangements would require a significant military involvement,” admits elvish woman with narrow face and big, emerald eyes. She's lady Adalia and Loki has always admired her diplomatic skills.

“Which we can't provide,” he repeats.

“We could, if we had to.” Everyone's eyes turn to Heimdall. “There's currently one hundred einherjar stationing in Vanaheim, with four drekars.”

“Dragon legion,” muses Loki. He remembers now. He send them himself after taking over to secure the country and struck fear in the hearts of anyone thinking about rebellion. He wasn't sure what happened to it after Thor's return. But he can't help but feel a pang of betrayal at the thought that Heimdall never mentioned anything about it to him. Not that he planned to use an army when he was in charge, but he would sleep so much better knowing that it's there if he ever needed it.

“Yes,” confirms the Watcher.

“Still, it's a small force and it won't do much if we'll have to spread it across at least three realms,” says Loki.

“You're right, again.” Thor admits. “Ambassadors, would the arrangement proposed by my brother be more acceptable?”

Politicians look at themselves, uncertainty clear in their eyes.

“We can...” starts the ambassador of Nidavellir, dwarf of unidentified sex with gray skin, rough like rock and patches of moss-like hair on their head, face and palms. Loki doesn't recognize them, but he thinks they're going to be easier to work with than previous one, who, just like Adisl, hated younger prince and would do anything to oppose him. “discuss that.”

“You could put it across to your kings,” suggests Loki. “We can work out the details in the upcoming months. But I don't think we should make any important decision until Asgard is built.”

“Why so?” asks Thor. Impatient as always, so eager to have everything his way. Loki sighs exasperated.

“Because then we can act as legitimate state. Now we're just a bunch of riffraffs with no land to call our own. If foreign kings would sing agreements with us now, it could be interpreted as act of cowardice, yielding to power that no longer exist. When we have a land, a proper castle, an army – however small – it's going to be different.”

Thor looks at him carefully for a while, then nods.

“Yes,” he says finally. “You are right. So, tell me more about how you imagine this union to work.”

* * *

The peace granted by Loki's exemption doesn't last forever. Mortals haven't forgot his transgressions. Civilians protesting his presence gather around the Asgardian camp with banners and signs demanding justice and expressing solidarity with Loki's victims. Journalists flock here too, harassing him with more and more invasive questions until he's forced to order Brunnhilde's trainees to guard him everywhere he goes. But soon he thinks he should rather place them around the camp, because for some humans it's not enough to protest: they step inside and confront Asgardians, a few brawls start but obviously only one side get hurt. Unfortunately, Loki doesn't have enough soldiers to ensure peace, so UN takes it upon themselves and send their Blue Helmets to surround the camp and keep intruders at bay. Keep an eye on Loki as well, the prince thinks.

He starts thinking about using one of his secret passages and scurrying to Vanaheim. The work is so advanced, that they will surely finish it without him. Alas, Tony Stark again convinces him to stay. The man even makes few suggestions of how to fix their relationship with humans. Following his advice, Loki gives interviews, they also start talking about retribution (though why they haven't talked about it with Odin, while old Asgard was still existing and full of gold, is beyond Loki).

But even that is not enough and soon, unable to reach him personally, UN decide to punish his people and demand that all Asgardians leave Earth immediately. That, of course, is impossible. The New Asgard is still not ready for inhabitation and not sturdy enough to be moved. Leaving it behind, for mortals to play with, is also out of the question.

So they bargain. Thor promises to keep his brother in check. He promises to include the Earth in an union with other words, swears military help in upcoming war with Thanos and protection from any other extraterrestrial threat the Earth may face in the future. On his part, Loki agrees to stay in camp and placates people by gifting them with few more pieces of technology.

So far Loki has been careful with his gifts. He only offers thing he's sure the mortals won't be able to use against him and in small quantities, just enough to keep their interest but also assure that he has more in stock. Current situation forces him to offer more than he'd otherwise give, but he can live with that.

The fact that Stark speeds up opening of his Center of Alien Science and Technology in Bodø (which is the nearest large city to Asgardian camp) doesn't hurt either. Loki has seen it from afar: it's a big building, housing everything from laboratories to greenhouses and inviting scientist from all around the world: researchers on STEM, physics, astronomy, biology, ecology and even Old Norse language and mythology. Loki graciously lends his own experts to share whatever knowledge they can (to a certain point, of course).

They also agree to sell some of the materials mined from the asteroids. Most of them get used for construction or taken by the dwarfs as a payment, but there are some minerals that are almost worthless for more advanced civilizations, but still valuable on Earth. The prices imposed by earthly governments are, as Tony puts it, 'a robbery', but since Asgardian's priority now is just getting in people's good graces they don't haggle too much.

On top of that, Stark also works on shifting public opinion. He hires a whole PR agency to work on Loki's case. What follows is even more interviews, few articles in prestigious newspapers covering his change of heart and charity work in Third World countries. They create an account for Loki on something called 'twitter' and hire a guy to manage it. They arrange for a well-known author to write down new version of mythology, focusing on Loki's point of view. One day Tony appears in the camp, grinning like a maniac and leading a puppy on a leash – a pudgy thing with golden fur and soft muzzle, so different from Asgardian sleek hounds. But from now on Loki is prohibited from showing in public without it.

In the end, they even shoot a short documentary about life in camp, filled with teary confessions of ordinary people who lost everything and now face dealing with the same thing if UN continues with their deportation plan and Loki is infinitely grateful that the Norns allowed his favorite theater troupe to live. It wouldn't be the same without them.

Finally, UN steps down. They still require that Loki refrains from leaving the camp and demand than one of the Avengers – other than Tony Stark – be with him at all times. Which doesn't really bother him as much as he thought. Tony is with him as often as possible anyway, and he finds a company of Vision, War Machine or Doctor Strange surprisingly bearable.

* * *

A few days after the end of Loki's trial they spot a plane circling the area. In the past few months Asgardians got used to aerial traffic, be it commercial airplanes trudging north or journalist trying to get a good view of a refugees camp. This one is different though, smooth, sharp and obviously armed.

“Who could that be?” wonders Loki but his lips twitch in a shadow of a smile and Tony knows he's up to no good.

“Wanna find out?” he asks provocatively and shadow turns into a real smile. Loki grasps the Tesseract and his eyes turn blue. A moment later the plane appears beside him and sits heavily, its engines magically devoid of power. Up close Tony recognizes Wakandan technology – the design is too different from machines constructed in other parts of the world. Then he realizes who's probably inside and his short satisfaction wanes.

“Nice catch,” he admits, trying to keep his voice light.

The hatch opens and he's not disappointed. Well, he may be moved a little by Steve's rugged beard and a plain navy suit with no emblems. And a new shield. How sweet. Good to know that whole bloody mess didn't leave a mark on him.

“Hi Steve, long time no see. How's it going?” He tries to feign his usual nonchalance, probably failing miserably. But he's beyond caring. All he wants to do is send a tank missile into the asshole's face, but a gentle squeeze on his arm stops him.

“I was going to ask you the same,” replies Steve with perfectly calm and collected voice. Tony has never felt such a strong urge to punch him. “Or, more precisely, what's going on with him?” He points his shield towards Loki who smiles smugly with Tesseract still in his hand.

“Well, you had that crazy, murderous psychopath on your side, so we decided to get our own.”

Steve turns his eyes from Loki to Tony. His jaw clenches under the beard.

“You can't seriously compare...”

“Yeah, you right. Because Loki was legally acquitted, unlike you and your buddy. So, point for us.”

“Acquitted, acquitted by who?” asks Clint. Tony finally peels his eyes away from Steve to look at the others behind him. There's Clint, Sam, Natasha with a new blond hair – she looked better in red, Tony can't help noticing – Wanda and his royal majesty, traitorous bastard. At least Bucky is nowhere to be seen. Neither is the insect guy, not that it means anything. They all look ready to fight, but only Clint keeps his bow drawn, aiming at Loki.

“Governments. Didn't you get the news in Wakanda? He was coerced and actively sabotaging his master's plan. And now he's paying his dues by rebuilding Asgard.”

“And you believe that?”

“Uh, yeah? Because I've been with him since he landed and I got to know him better? But hell, I thought I know you too.” He gives them his most charming smile and spreads his hands disarmingly. “So maybe I am wrong after all. Bite me.”

Steve clenches his teeth even tighter and Tony imagines that he can hear them cracking. Could be just wishful thinking.

“And supposedly you are right,” starts Steve again. “Do you really think it's a good idea to let him play with the most powerful artifact on Earth? Building a flying fortress with unknown purpose? Bringing an army of aliens with him?”

“That flying fortress is a New Asgard. And an army? Look again, Steve. Majority of people here are women and children.”

To Tony's dismay Steve does exactly that and then points to a group of men training nearby under a watchful eye of a Brunnhilde.

“They count as women or children?” he asks, smug bastard. At least Valkyrie seems to sense his gaze, because she turns and walks towards them.

“They are an honorary guard, Captain,” said Loki, speaking for the first time since not-Avengers arrived. “Surely, you're not afraid of twenty people?”

“Twenty people?” Steve looks at him sternly. “No. Twenty Asgardians with superhuman strength and weapons of unknown power? Under your command? Yes, I am afraid.”

“They're not under his command,” intercepts Brunnhilde, whose approach none of them noticed. “They're under mine. You have problem with that?”

“Yes, lady. Who are you and what are you doing on our planet?”

“I am Valkyrie and I don't have to explain myself to you,” she answers looking him square in the eye. She stands straight, with hand on a hilt of her sword and smug smile on her lips. Her whole posture seems to scream 'dare' and Tony really wishes Steve would accept.

“I'm afraid you have.” The good Captain blushes but doesn't back down. “This is our planet and those like him,” he points toward Loki, who observes the whole exchange with bored expression, “are not welcomed here.”

“First, he is my liege and you should show some respect, mortal.”

“I respect those who deserve it!”

“Second, from what I've heard, your rulers decided otherwise,” she wrinkles her nose, as if in disdain. “You mortals really need to learn to work together.” 

“Fret not, Captain,” says Loki, finally deciding to step in before these two jump at each other's throats. “I wish nothing more than to leave that miserable rock you call your planet. I just need to finish the construction and you can be sure, that your descendants won't see me here in a thousands years. Oh, and Asgard, that flying fortress, as you called it, is leaving too. Not with me, with Thor. It can withstand a vacuum of space, so maybe we'll hang it somewhere beyond Mars or move it back at the top of Yggdrasil. We'll see.”

“And what are you gonna do when you leave? Gather another army? Or build a weapon and bomb us from another galaxy like you tried to do with Jotunhaim?”

“It's Jötunheim. And no, I do not plan to attack your world, I told you I want nothing to do with it.”

“What then?” presses Steve. “Another realm? If it's millions of aliens instead of humans dying for your whim should we bat an eye and let this happen?”

Loki's lips split into venomous smile as he gets tired of Steve's hostility and he hisses:

“I don't know, maybe I'll gather the most handsome men in the galaxy and open an interplanetary brothel?”

Steve's cheeks turn red and he clenches his fist on the handle of his shield.

“For fuck's sake, Tony,” Clint turns to him before the Captain regains his voice. “He's clearly a psychopath, he should be locked up!”

“Yeah, well, some people would say the same about you...”

“Friends,” comes a booming voice from the side and Thor enters the scene, smiling widely, obviously ignorant of the tension.

“They're not friends,” protests Tony but no one pays him any attention.

“Hello, Thor,” welcomes Steve. He's still blushing, but his shoulders relax, as if he's expecting Thor to support him. “What happened to your eye?”

“A long story, more fit for a night by a campfire. Tony told me you had some problems, I'm glad to see them gone...”

“Yeah, well...”

“They're not gone,” protests Tony. “We're not friends. And they didn't came here for a chat, they came to get your brother.”

“You may wait before rejecting their friendship though,” says Loki, making everyone look at him. His smile disappeared, he looks completely serious now, even somber. “They have a right to be suspicious of me. I can't deny them that. Plus...” He pauses, uncertain, before continuing: “Thanos is coming to Earth. You have to gather all your strength if you are to defeat him.”

“We will defeat him,” assures Tony. “We don't need them to do it.”

“I must agree with Loki here,” mentions Thor. “I heard of his deeds and we cannot afford to make more enemies when he is at the gate.”

“Who is Thanos?” asks Steve.

“Well, Captain.” Loki smiles again but it's a ghoulish smile, reminiscence of the one he wore during invasion. So close they all see there is absolutely no joy in it. “He is the devil.”

* * *

Thor ushers them to the Thingstead where Loki relates his story, starting from the fall. Having repeated it so many times in the past in front of various audiences, he doesn't even seem bothered by it anymore. They have questions, of course and he answers them with utmost patience. Obviously, they want to know why he never told Odin and Thor, as if that wasn't obvious. And then they ask about his stunt on Svartalfheim.

“You didn't think of using this opportunity to discuss your sentence?” asks Steve. “Thor said you fought together. He spoke very highly of you.”

Loki shrugs, but he can't help a treacherous blush creeping up on his cheeks.

“Only because I died. Had I lived, he'd be more than happy to put me back in that miserable cell and never speak of me again. Well, at least until I was needed.”

“He didn't offer you a reduction of your sentence for your help?” asks Nat. She looks perfectly composed, not even a slightest frown betraying her emotions, but those who know her can already sense her disapproval.

“No.” Loki smirks joylessly. “Vengeance and afterward this cell. Those were his words.”

Thor at least has enough decency to look sheepish when everyone's eyes turn to him with various shades of dismay and disbelief.

“Dude,” starts Sam. “It never occurred to you to offer some kind of incentive?”

“Why did you even agree to help him?” asks Nat, not giving the king a chance to answer.

“Because helping Thor was my only way of getting out. I was determined to escape and even if I failed, what's the worst that could happen? Death doesn't seem so bad when you're already buried alive.”

“I wouldn't kill you,” protests Thor. Loki only shrugs.

“I would make you. I wouldn't go back there.”

“I could speak with father...”

“And tell him what? How well you did?”

“We did.”

Loki smiles bitterly.

“You never mention my name when talking about our adventures. Besides, what would that do anyway? Odin never changed his decision. And I wasn't interested in reduction. One more day in that thrice-cursed cell and I would take my own life.”

Thor sighs, as if Loki's confession brought him nothing but exasperation and Trickster feels his hatred bubbling.

“You're being dramatic...”

“And you're being an asshole,” cuts him Tony. “Pull your head out of your ass and try to think about someone other than yourself for a while. Your brother just admitted being depressed and suicidal and you're trying to brush it aside like it's nothing. It's fucking something!”

“Tony.” Loki puts his hand on the man's shoulder and gently pulls him back on the chair.

“So you betrayed him instead,” comes from Steve. All of this time, he hasn't let his eyes off Loki. His lips are pressed together and brows slightly knitted, but his voice is calm. “I'm not saying you didn't have a reason, but I don't see how this is supposed to build our trust in you.”

“I don't care for your trust. It was Thor's idea to come to Earth and I agreed only because we were under attack. But I want you to think of something. After I came back from Svartalfheim and disposed of Odin – no, I didn't kill him, don't give me that look. I'm not a monster, despite what you may think. Anyway I took the throne of Asgard and ruled it for the past four years. I had all the resources to subjugate you, destroy your Realm even if I wished so. And with Thor stranded on Earth there was no one to stop me. But I didn't.”

“Yes,” Steve nods, but his gaze is still rock hard and it's not hard to see that he doesn't trust Loki as far as he can throw him. “Why?”

“Why would I? I had Asgard, what does your world have that I didn't already had in my disposal?”

“Revenge?”

To that Loki chuckles.

“You're the ones that call yourself the Avengers, not me.”

“Oh, so you're better than us now?” snarls Clint.

“Your words, not mine. But consider this: Asgardians are a warrior nation. Odin had conquered Nine Realms in a series of bloody wars. Me and Thor have spent our whole youth traveling and killing anyone who displeased our father. And Thor's only claim for glory – for everything! – is that he's better fighter than me. Why is it all right when it's Thor who does the killing and Odin who points who's to die, but when I do the same, I'm suddenly a murderer and criminal?”

“It's different, brother,” says Thor softly. “I do regret some of my past deeds. But I always believed I fight to protect innocents...”

“Did Jötnar feel protected under Odin's rule?” Loki snaps quickly and Thunderer's mouth closes with almost audible click. “Did Dark Elves?”

“Dark Elves tried to destroy the universe!”

“That's what Odin told us and we both know he was a liar. But,” he raises his hand, stopping Thor from protesting. “Since we're speaking of protection, I can't help but wonder what did you do for your supposedly beloved Earth? You only know this world because of your lover and friends, but I was watching it from afar, even before our... clash. It's torn to pieces, turbulent with wars, terrorism, exploitation, plagued by famine and disease.” He turns his head to slowly look around the table, pausing for a bit on very Avenger. “Why, only last week one man, undoubtedly believing himself oppressed and fighting for freedom you mortals hold so dear, blow up a metro station. Two hundred wounded, twenty dead, civilians, women, children. You know, if I had anything to say, I would do anything in my power to end that. To finish the wars that ravage your outer lands, tear down the arbitrary borders that keep people from places they called homes for centuries. I would give you technology to clear your air and water, magic to heal your diseases, I would enchant your crops and turn even the poorest nations on Earth into utopia.”

“Why didn't you start with that?” snaps Cap. “Instead of coming here, bringing nothing but death and destruction?”

“And I have to say, for someone who claims that he didn't want to conquer the world, you sound awfully unconvincing,” snarled Clint, making a wicked smile spread on Loki's lips.

“Why, it's just an academic discussion,” he says lightly. “As for your question, dear Captain, maybe that's what I'll do on a next planet I land.”

“Why not here?”

“Haven't you heard? I'm not allowed to leave the camp.”

“Maybe you could work on that.”

“Maybe I'm just not interested with mewling for acceptance from the people who would rather chain me to a rock with my children's guts and put a snake to drop venom on my face for the rest of eternity?”

“I though that's Asgardian thing,” blurts Tony.

“Nope, it's all yours.” Loki's voice sounds lightly, but there's barely audible bitterness to it. “Our people forewent physical torture millennia ago. It's a charming myth, though. Really warms my heart to your people.”

“Um, I'm sorry?”

“Okay, what is the point of this whole conversation?” asks Sam. Since the beginning of the discussion he's been sitting almost motionlessly, with arms crossed and legs spread, barely talking.

“Ah, it's purely academical.” Loki waves his hand dismissively. “If you want a point, I can only assure you that although I was taught to fight as soon as I was taught to read, I was never a warrior at heart. Thor can attest to that and my time as a ruler of Asgard should be proof enough.”

“Yes, Loki was pretty content to just put up plays for his own glory,” admits Thor with a fond smile. “He hasn't done anything villainous.”

Loki's lips press into a thin line.

“I fixed the damage left by Dark Elves,” he says with a suspiciously calm voice. “I pacified rebels on Vanaheim. I reformed taxing system, so that our subjects have no reason to rebel again. I opened trade between the Realms. I made steps towards building first seidr school in Asgard and warming our relations with Jötunnheim. And yes, I supported arts, sorry for taking up the time that ought to be spend at singing your praises. What were you doing in that time?”

“Fighting threats you didn't even see coming!

„Okay, enough,” Steve cuts before the exchange can escalate into quarrel then turns to Thor: „Let's get back to the matter. How did you find out Loki's still alive?”

The Thunderer picks up the story and relates the events leading to Ragnarök. And as soon as his story reaches Sakaar...

“Bruce was with you?” Tony turns to Loki, betrayal clear in his eyes.

“Oh, don't give me that look.” The Trickster scoffs. “If I told you, you'd insist on me trying to get him back.”

“Where is he now?”

The Trickster waves his hand dismissively and turns his head to avoid Tony's accusatory look.

“Got lost during the attack. Don't worry, he lives. At least part of him. But no, I can't get him back. He's lost in space.”

“Heimdall could help you find him,” suggests Thor. Loki crosses his arms and looks at him stubbornly.

“Probably.” He nods. “But that doesn't meant I could bring him back.”

“Why not? I saw you sending people to and from Vanaheim and other Realms.”

“Because I'm using Yggdrasil as a guide. But he's lost far beyond Her branches. Even if I could find him, actually reaching for him is beyond my skills.”

Thor smiles with reassurance and reaches out to playfully punch Loki's shoulder. “You should have more faith in your skills, brother.”

“Would be easier if my whole life I didn't hear how little it's worth,” the Trickster spits in response and Thor's smile melts.

“Let's go back to the tale,” he says.

He skims over the events on Sakaar, not even mentioning their parting and continues as if they always reached Asgard together and fought side by side. Well, Thor fights and Loki helps with evacuation and... other things. Trickster swears that he'll fill Thor's helmet with something sticky and disgusting on next important occasion.

The final events of Ragnarök get summed up with one sentence:

“Then we realized that Hela's too strong and the only thing that can stop her is destroying Asgard itself.”

For a while, no one speaks.

“Wow,” coming from Sam neatly sums up their collective thoughts.

“We saved our people,” adds Thor quickly. “But then we were attacked on our way and forced to take desperate measures...”

“And use Tesseract to come here,” guesses Cap.

“But Loki took too long and some people, including Thor and apparently Bruce, were sucked out,” adds Nat.

“If you think you'd have better luck operating one of the most powerful artifacts in the universe, by all means, be my guest.” Loki gives her a stern look and for a while she holds it, completely unfazed, before finally dropping her gaze.

After that, T'Challa, who for now has been silent, asks them about the New Asgard – understandably concentrating on defense system. Loki starts answering, but having better idea, Thor invites one of dwarfish engineers to explain – and sends for snacks and some golden, strangely pearlescent wine from Alfheim.

They talk late into the night, but in the end, non-Avengers accept Loki's words and agree to leave him alone, going back to Wakanda. And it's for the best, since otherwise Tony would have to arrest them. Law is law and seeing that even Loki is abiding it, Earth's Mightiest Heroes have no choice. The peace gets restored.

* * *

And yet, after the Avengers are gone, Thor stops Loki with a hand on his shoulder.

“Loki... I do understand why you never looked for Banner.”

“But you want me to do so now,” Loki says, rolling his eyes. “And you're gonna give me one of those speeches about greater good, responsibility, support...”

“No,” he stops. “No. I won't lecture you. I'm only gonna ask for you to try. You'll do what you want.”

“And you'll trust me to do the right thing?” spits Trickster. If that's the case his brother truly is...

“You'll do what you want,” he repeats. His face is impenetrable and Loki finds himself at loss. Just like on Sakaar. And he hates it. He hates being uncertain.

So he does the only thing he can under those circumstances.

* * *

Luckily, Bruce is back to his small self. At first he and Tony disappear in Oslo, which makes Loki twitch with jealousy. But it gets worse when the man decides to come back and live among the Asgardians. He wants to learn about their culture, he says. He wants to keep an eye on him, Loki thinks bitterly.

Whatever. He's doing nothing wrong. And if he has to perform his tricks in front of all Avengers to prove it, he will do it.

It won't be long, anyway.

* * *

“I wish we had things like that on Earth.”

Bruce Banner stands up from the bush he was examining. The plant has blade-like leaves and long stalks dotted with tiny, white berries. Honeyberries, they call it. Too sour to eat, but when mixed with water and honey and left to ferment, they turn into the most excellent drink. The most important part though is that the whole patch grew, blossomed and fructified overnight.

“I think you do,” says Nanna, knitting her cute pale brows then walks away, gesturing at him to follow. Ever since he came back, he spent most of his time in Asgard with her. Despite obstinacy bordering on arrogance, she proved to be a pleasant companion, with almost encyclopedic knowledge and burning passion mixed with deep sense of duty. Only when she speaks about plants, her eyes soften and the pout of her small lips disappears. Her movements are always graceful, unhindered by a dress that seems a couple of sizes too big. “Prince Loki send few away to feed paupers of your world. You'll need to ask him.”

The idea of Loki, of all people, engaging in charity work seem almost absurd. But then again, many people would probably say the same about Hulk. Still, Bruce frowns and shakes his head in disbelief.

“Huh. Loki never struck me as charitable.”

“He isn't that bad,” the woman says with a shrug.

They leave the patch of berry shrubs and enter the grove. It's early spring and first grasses and flowers peek timidly from beneath the frozen ground outside the Asgardian domain. Patches of snow still linger in some places and morning frosts regularly arrest springs and draw fantastic visages on window panes. But here vegetation prevails. Trees stand proudly, lush with leaves and heavy with fruit, their trunks invisible from beneath climbing plants of Asgardian golden peas with phosphorescent seeds and surrounded with bushes, grass, greens and creeping vines. The winter has no foothold here, chased away by Loki's magic: even the air is warmer and heavy with strange, but appetizing scents.

Bruce shakes off the alien charm and turns back to Nanna.

“Isn't he?” he asks.

“Oh, don't get me wrong, the whole house of Odin sometimes seems to be more trouble than it's worth. Loki... has a lot of flaws. But at least he can see the life outside of battlefield. Can't say the same about Thor...”

“At least Thor fights to protect people.”

The woman gives him an exasperated look.

“What do you think Loki's doing?”

At this moment they walk past the particularly wide tree and the most unusual view unfolds before them. A strange being, easily eight feet tall and covered in thick, brown fur leans against one of the fruit trees and reaches it ridiculously small, black hands to collect a low hanging fruit. Upon hearing them it turns around, swaying ominously, revealing a horribly contorted face. It turns out the creature has two pair of arms: the one they've seen before reaching for fruit, growing on the sides of its head and the other pair, longer but equally black, holding what looks like a wicker basket.

Bruce and Nanna stop, completely transfixed, not sure how to react. The beast also freezes, but then it shudders and starts waving its lower arms. A deep, low voice comes from approximately the level of its bellybutton.

“Woooo! I am mighty treebeats! Run, little ones, or I swallow you whole!”

In that moment Garmr, a golden retriever Tony got for Loki, runs from behind the tree, yapping happily at the monster. Nanna sighs and crosses her arms.

“My prince, you don't have to sneak in to steal the fruits.”

The beast shakes again then it contorts horribly, wriggling a small shriek from behind the face – that itself remains immobile – and prompting smaller hands to grab frantically the beasts sides.

“I think our cover is blown,” says the bellybutton. The giggle comes from some distance above it and then small hands grab both sides of the face and lift it, along with a fur cover. It's a mask, as it turns out and when it falls to the ground, Bruce can see a small girl with hay-like braids piggybacking none other than Loki. The prince notices him too, because the impish smile melts away replaced by pursed lips and chin lifted in the clearest possible expression of disdain.

“I should let you know, Nanna,” he says turning to the gardener. “That when Idunn was in charge of royal gardens, she took a great care to keep objectionable characters away from it.”

“When Idunn was in charge, she would keep you away from the garden,” woman retorts sharply, with both arms propped against her hips. The prince scoffs. “What are you doing here? Messing with children's heads again?”

“Merely collecting some fruits for lunch,” the prince lifts his basked demonstratively. “I don't know if that counts as messing with children's heads...”

“Oh, I'm not worried with the fruits, my prince. More with the stories you tell. You fill their heads with nonsense, making them abandon our ways...”

“If you talk about Ulli, I'll have you know I didn't talk him into anything.”

“And yet he walks around telling everyone how you're going to teach him magic.”

“That I will.”

“Wasting the time he should spend as einherjar.”

“Well, he doesn't want to go to be an einherjar.”

“The boy needs to learn to defend himself.”

“The boy doesn't need to do anything he doesn't want. But fret not, dear Nanna. Soon I'll leave and I won't talk any of your precious children into anything.”

“Where are you going?” asks little angel sitting on Loki's shoulder, pulling at his hair that Bruce only now notices is also braided, though awry, as if plaited by a child. The prince grabs her leg to keep her steady then shakes a little, making her laugh.

“I'm going to Alfheim. I'll ditch civilization and spend the rest of my live among treebeasts.”

The girl squeals with delight.

“Can I go with you?” she asks. Beside him, Nanna rolls her eyes.

“Of course you can, hamingja! You just need to promise me one thing.” Loki lays basket on the ground then lifts the girl from his shoulder and holds her in the air, so that he can look her in the eye while solemnly declaring: “That you will never, ever grow up.”

The girl giggles again and Nanna sighs dramatically.

“Does Thor even know about this?” she asks. Loki kisses girl's forehead then places her on the ground before replying.

“I have no idea. But please, feel free to go to him and complain.”

The woman scoffs, then turns on her heel and leaves without a word. Bruce hesitates, not sure what to do with himself. Before he can make a decision though, Loki speaks to the girl:

“Hamingja, can you take these fruits to your friends? I need to speak to Doctor Banner alone.”

The girl grabs the basket – that is almost half her size – without comment then runs off, followed by Garmr. When she disappears behind the trees, Loki speaks:

“I wanted to show you something.”

He waves his hand in a gesture strangely similar to the one Nanna used earlier then leads the man outside the grove, but on the southern side, which gets the most sunshine. There isn't a single plant dominating this part, bur a mosaic of bushes, vines, herbs and flowers. Here, a crisp scent of fruits, gives way to heavy, herbal odor and although Bruce can't recognize any of the plants, he sometimes catches a whiz of something familiar: anise, lemon balm, at one point something almost like peppermint. He assumes that this is the place where Asgardians grow their healing plants.

Loki leads him to one in particular: tall with velvety leaves and lily-like flowers with yellow petals and bright red stamens.

“The name of this plant can be roughly translated as 'purifier',” the god starts without preamble. “It's used in medicine to purge diseases and in magic to do the same with daemons.”

Bruce feels his throat tightening. He has no doubt about what demon Loki plans to banish. And Bruce wants, oh, he wants it so badly, ever since the accident, although he gave up hope that it can ever happen...

He turns his eyes to Loki.

“Do you think..?”

“I don't know,” the Trickster cuts him. “Your case is like nothing I've ever witnessed. I can't say if purifier will help you or make your condition worse. It may do nothing at all. But it's the only solution I can think of. Isn't that why you spend so much time in our gardens?” Bruce doesn't answer. How Loki came to know this, he has no idea. But if there's even the slightest chance... “I can speak to Eir, she knows best what to do to unlock the full potential of the plant. But...” He hesitates for a moment. “You may want to wait until Thanos is defeated.”

Bruce sighs. It sounds reasonable. And yet...

“Thank you,” he says.

“I'm not doing this for you.”

* * *

“You have no idea how much I admire you for putting up with these people for as long as you did,” moans Thunderer, plopping on the ground next to him. Loki glances at him over his bowl of soup, but doesn't say anything, hoping his brother will understand the cue and leave, but no such luck. Recently, Thor seems determined to make up for millennia of negligence and snatches every opportunity to show his admiration. Part of Loki wants to believe that he's doing it honestly, not just because he tries to talk Loki into staying. “Just now I was forced to resolve a conflict of two men fighting for a cauldron. A cauldron! Don't we have bigger worries?”

“A cauldron is important thing,” says Loki solemnly, abandoning all hope and putting his bowl aside. “It's impossible to prepare a proper meal without it.”

“I would never suspect you'd be the one to defend boiled meals.”

Loki blushes slightly. Back in the old days he hated Asgardian cooking: he found it boring and unimaginative. That's why he had a cook from Alfheim. But other Asgardians didn't care: for them, a stew or a soup was a proper meal, a roast – something to be enjoyed while camping and everything else might as well not exist.

“Enjoying roast doesn't make me a barbarian,” he protests. “Beside, it's not about that. These people lost almost everything, so whatever they still have, they obviously treasure. It may seem trifling now, but that's how it is.”

Thor considers his words for a while.

“I never thought about that. That's why I'm glad to have you here,” he muses and Loki rolls his eyes.

“And it's not even the worst case,” adds the prince. “Not so long ago two women – sisters – were jumping at each other's throats over a button.”

The Thunderer lifts on his elbows and eyes Trickster incredulously.

“A button?”

“Yes. A button.” He shrugs. “Apparently it belonged to their departed mother. It was the only heirloom they had.”

“What did you do?”

“I made exact copy of the damned thing. Then gave them a lecture about how it's not the object that matters, but the memories associated with it.”

Loki's speech was longer and more exuberant, but the meaning was pretty much it.

“How sentimental,” ponders Thor, but there's no mockery in his voice, more affection. Loki feels a blush creeping on his cheeks. You're sentimental, he wants to say, but bites his tongue.

“It worked,” he says instead.

“That's the most important part.”

Thor nods and for a moment they sit in silence. Loki reluctantly returns to his soup. Thor's company spoils his appetite, but he's hungry and recently he needs an extraordinary amount of food to keep himself satisfied. He never used so much magic so frequently and although the Tesseract keeps his energy level steady, his body is clearly not able to keep up. He can't wait till the whole construction is over and he can have a decent rest.

“I've heard some complains about you, though...” adds Thor, but his tone is light and Loki has no doubt that he has nothing to worry about.

“Oh?” Loki hums, lifting bowl to his mouth and sipping the rest of his soup.

“Some think that you have bad influence on our youth.”

Loki drops empty bowl and sighs. He's still hungry.

“It's about Ulli, isn't it?” he asks, resigned.

“I don't know. Who is Ulli?”

“One of the orphans. I'm gonna take him with me.”

“What? Where? And why?”

Loki rolls his eyes again.

“I'm gonna teach him seidr.”

“Well, I think you should at least wait till he finishes his einherjar training.”

“He doesn't want to become einherjar.” 

“Oh.”

“And I promised him that he won't.”

“All boys in Asgard become einherjar.”

“Thor, he lost his whole family at Hela's hands. They were all warriors. And they all died. He simply doesn't want to follow in their footsteps and I promised him that he won't.”

For a moment Thor eyes him carefully and Trickster shifts uncomfortably. He was hoping the matter will never reach Thor. Orphans weren't his usual interest and Ulli had no family that could object his chosen path. But Thor probably will. He is a warrior at heart, after all. Loki tries to think of all the arguments he can use, but then he hears:

“Okay.”

And he doesn't know what to say.

“Okay?” he repeats, confused.

“Yeah.” Thor smiles and Loki thinks that Ragnarök truly came if Thor agrees with him. “If he doesn't want to fight, then he won't fight.”

“But you said...”

“I know. But I think that... our old ways weren't always the best. And now we have an opportunity to change them. So if you want to teach him seidr, by all means, do so.”

Loki keeps silent for a moment, before finally stammering:

“Thank you.”

“You welcome. There's another matter. Hróaldr.”

“Who is that?”

“Skrimshander. The one you promised a place in castle.”

“Oh.”

Yes, Loki remembers. Soon after killing of a whale he commissioned a man with carving bone panels depicting history of Asgard. And he has to admit, they are exquisite works of art. There's nine of them, a lucky number.

The first one depicts the destruction of the first Asgard, with a spaceship carrying its last citizens escaping under Odin's lead. It's rather vague, but only because so little is known about what happened. Heimdall says that the destruction was an effect of a war waged between Odin and his brothers, whose names were erased from history and he's the only one old enough to remember that. The second panel depicts Odin creating new Asgard, the island of life among the stars. Little dwarfish ships are the only sign that the king wasn't the only person involved in the process. Third panel shows Odin and Hela, conquering Realm after Realm, armies led to glorious battles, thousands lying their lives at feet of insatiable tyrant. Fourth one shows Hela attacked by Valkyrjur and cast away by Odin, who stands aside and watches indifferently as his best warriors sacrifice their lives. Loki wonders if Brunnhilde had some role with designing this piece. Fifth depicts Odin with his wife and two sons, presiding benevolently over the Nine Realms. It's amazing how the author could fit everything in one panel: royal family on top, below them Asgard itself, a bit lower – Vanaheim, Alfheim, Nidavellir and Midgard, and on the very bottom – Jötunheim, Muspelheim, Helheim and Svartalfheim, dark realms brought to their knees or obliterated in the past wars. Sixth panel briefly depicts a strife between brothers, ending with casting Loki off. Luckily, the artist was discreet enough to gloss over the less honorable deeds of the younger prince and only showed what was necessary for the continuity of the story. Seventh panel depicts the death of Odin and return of Hela, with two princes nowhere to be seen. The next one has two parts: one with Thor battling Hela and another with Loki saving Asgardians from her wrath, while the surface of the world crumble beneath their feet.

The last one depicts only Loki, with Tesseract in hand, bringing the New Asgard to life. The Trickster has to admit, the man knows how to cajole.

“But now he hears that his work is kept in your ship,” explains Thor, bringing Loki back from his contemplation.

The Trickster nods. “That it is.”

“Why?”

“Because it favors me. If I let you hang it in castle, you will cover it with the ones that favor you in no time.”

“Well, I can't do that now, that you called me on it.” Thor pouts, but Loki's not falling for it.

“No chance, Thor. The panels are going with me. You can ask him for a second set.”

“I don't think that's enough. He feels like you lied to him.”

Loki sighs.

“Tell him that in a way they hang in Asgard's palace. My palace. In other Asgard.”

“Are you planning to create another Asgard?”

“I don't know. Maybe?” He wonders. Grandmaster's orgy ship is small, but he feels like it's going to get crowded pretty fast. “Hnoss and Gersemi said they will cuff themselves to me rather than let me go alone. With Ulli, that's four of us.” Mischievous smile spreads on his lips. “Yes, I think we can create a second Asgard.”

At his side Thor laughs heartily.

“You are impossible, Loki.” He reaches out to grab Trickster's neck and brings their foreheads together. “Please, stay.”

* * *

That conversation changes something in Loki. Despite himself he starts paying closer attention to Thor's actions.

And then he realizes... that ruling is overwhelming Thor. In his youth, the Thunderer couldn't shut up about being a king. Mostly leading his people to glorious victories: to finish off Jötnar, Muspel, maybe conquer more worlds beyond the branches of Yggdrasil. But now friends he fought with are dead and there isn't even an army he can lead: just a group of civilians with barely shirts on their backs and dependent on him with almost everything.

And since there's so few of them, they think that he has time and energy to solve all of their problems. It's starting to take its toll.

But at the same time, to his utter dismay, Loki has to admit that all in all Thor isn't a bad king.

At first, he only ratifies all the decisions made previously by Loki. And whenever he has any doubts, he comes to him, not just seeking contact or striving to annoy him, as the prince previously thought. No, now Thor seems to genuinely value his opinion and experience gained in previous years. Sometimes Loki is tempted to give him bad advice, just to see what would happen, but he abstains. The fate of Asgard is at stake.

But in time, Thor starts making his own decisions. The Thing get re-elected, with more people and clear distinction between various departments. To Loki's surprise, Thor decides to add new chambers to Asgard's traditional three. So, after Military Thing, Diplomatic Thing and Legislative Thing, he appoints Public Thing, that will represent the interests of the citizens and Science Thing that is to work with Loki to coordinate his educational reform and open the first Seidr Academy in Asgard, as well as oversight the inner working of Asgardian mechanic and environment.

Next, Thor orders another census, this time concentrating on families and their needs. The dwarfs sketched a rough map of the future city, but they still need to know how many actual houses they must build and provide them with basic furnishing and tools. Amenities are ordered from Vanaheim, paid for with spare metals not yet taken by dwarfs or mortals. Of course, some people, especially members of what used to be nobility, present outrageous claims, to which Thor is almost ready to comply, but Loki shuts them down. One good thing that Hela did, he thinks grimly, was culling warmongers and leisure class, making Asgardian populace much more egalitarian (though Odin would probably disagree, always claiming that divided society is easier to rule). Of course, those that survive Ragnarök abroad are also demanding land and lay out plans for ostentatious manors they'll pay for themselves, but there's nothing Loki can do about that.

When he complains about it to Stark, the man points out the royal castle – the biggest building in New Asgard, planned from the beginning. Loki has to explain that a castle is more a manifestation than a place to live I and with current budget it will take a long time till they can make it even remotely comfortable.

Regardless, Thor starts muttering about creating a new noble class by granting crests and handsome salaries to members of Things. Crest are no problem, but Loki must remind him that it will take a long time before they can afford paying any kind of salary.

What money they have left must now be spend, once again, on food – for now and future, at least until their gardens can bear fruit. And since Asgardians are eat more meat than anything, they also have to start thinking about buying herds of goats, horses and frizzy golden audumla cows.

The economy is what gives them both a true headache. Asgard's production is mostly artisanal, mass production just isn't in style – especially now, when there are no mases to produce for. Still, there are certain facilities that need to be provided. A mill, an abattoir, royal mint, forge and shipyard to arm Asgard's future armies. A brewery, suggests Thor. A distillery, corrects Brunnhilde. Scriptorium, adds Loki with a sigh.

Thor decides to continue mining asteroids: New Asgard will have a space port in its lower part, so it's only a matter of ordering dwarfish mining vessels and hiring enough workers to operate them, at least until Asgardians can be taught to do so. Loki proposes building few general use cruisers, trading vessels, maybe a small fleet of fighters, just in case, but that will have to wait until they have enough spare money. In the meantime, all they can do is help broker the deal between dwarfs and mortals that will allow earthlings to acquire their own space fleet in a few years.

“Honestly, Loki, you're better at this that I am,” Thor admits unexpectedly after one of their meetings.

“It will come in time,” Loki assures, dropping his head automatically to hide blushing. For his whole life, all his accomplishments were brushed aside, belittled or plainly forgotten, so hearing someone – Thor! – complimenting him feels... odd. He bites, hoping to hide his embarrassment: “It's in your blood, after all, you're Odin son. You even look like him.”

Thor grimaces, as if he bit something sour.

“Don't even say that.”

They stay silent for a while, fidgeting in their chairs and tapping on the table, and yet not eager to leave yet.

“Do you still hate him?” Thor asks finally. Loki shrugs.

“I only ever hated him as much as I loved him.”

“These are two different things, Loki.”

“How do you think he felt? He only noticed me when he needed me or when I caused enough trouble he couldn't ignore it any more.” He carefully avoids Thor's look, hoping that his brother has matured enough to understand that Loki's not only talking about Odin. “And he only showed me affection when one of us was close to death. You can't honestly expect me to proclaim unconditional love for him.”

Thor sighs, but ultimately decides to let it slip for now, apparently struck by another realization.

“And you figured it all out. His past, I mean.”

Loki hesitates a bit before answering, feeling chill running down his spine, but not for reasons Thor could imagine.

“Thanos told me. Apparently he and Odin fought in some distant past.” He smiles bitterly. And when he picks up, his tone is mocking and only little trembling: “He told me that my father was a great conqueror and that I should carry on his bloody legacy.”

Thor gives him incredulous look.

“And you believed that? Just like that?”

He sounds appalled – not by the revelation, but the source of it and Loki drops his gaze, not able to look him in face anymore. He shrugs again.

“It was rather obvious in retrospect, wasn't it? I guess we were both too blinded by our love to really see it.” Then, not able to fight the onslaught of memories this conversation brings, Loki confesses: “I think he knew. Who I allied myself with. That's why he was so mad, seeing me fighting alongside his old enemy.”

“And he never thought about how Thanos used to gather allies?”

“Didn't know or didn't care. Or maybe just didn't want to drag out his name.”

“Or maybe he was appalled by the amount of death and destruction you brought.”

“A smidgen compared to what he's done himself.”

Thor sighs, but doesn't argue. Loki can't help but wonder if it's because his trust in Odin was so badly eroded or because he's genuinely trying to respect his brother's point of view. A bit of both, perhaps.

“He never told us about Infinity Stones either,” the Thunderer speaks instead. “Not about Tesseract, not about the Mind Stone, not even about the Aether.”

“Maybe he hoped that beating Thanos millennia ago solved the problem. That he will not dare to come back.”

“And when he did...”

“Odin preferred to ignore it and pretend nothing's happening. Can't say I blame him, though. He was old and weary. You never wondered why he was so eager to cede all of his duties on you?” Thor doesn't answer and after a moment of silence Loki decides to word another of his worries. “Makes me wonder... How much time has passed since he regained his power on Midgard? He could've come back any time.”

“Maybe he knew Asgard was in good hands.” Loki lifts his head to see Thor giving him a smile and he can see a genuine affection in it. It makes his chest ache, so he quickly drops his gaze.

* * *

Not a week after that conversation, comes the biggest and most controversial of Thor's decisions: legalization of same-sex marriages.

Asgardians, obviously, don't like it. Thor has to give a few rousing speeches, Tony helps as he can by supplying movies and documentaries portraying plight of civil rights movement on Earth. But the thing that seems to finally convince people is the first marriage of this kind (no, it's not Loki and Tony – Loki is already married and annulling that would require an effort he isn't willing to spare).

It's Brunnhilde and Svana.

* * *

The ceremony is short and modest, although all Asgardians gather to watch it. Brunnhilde wears her Valkyrie armor, Svana: white dress with wide sleeves and blood-red necklace, making her look almost like the bird that gave her name. The cloth is barely loose enough to hide her growing stomach. The women exchange vows and then summon little flames that join in slow dance before melting into one above their heads. They skip the sacrifice that usually accompanies such ceremonies, but Thor blesses the union and then the the pair accept gifts from friends. In the end, everyone is invited for a modest feast and dancing, though many people refuse, for principle rather than any other reason.

Loki's not sure what to think of it. Part of him can't help but feel resentment towards Thor for singlehandedly doing more for what Trickster came to consider 'his people' than him. On the other... Svana seems more happy with Brunnhilde than Loki could ever make her.

There's just one small thing...

* * *

“You know, I can help with that.”

Svana jerks, looking at him through the mirror. They haven't spoken for months now. There wasn't any break up or even any particular reason for them to split. They just got wind up in their own works and lives, just to one day realize that there's nothing left between them. Svana's betrothal and even pregnancy were as much a surprise to Loki as to anyone else.

But now when she sees him, her face lightens with a smile and she puts her hand protectively on her belly.

“There's no need,” she says softly. “I already promised Brunnhilde she can pick the name.”

Loki swallows. It's not exactly what he meant, but he can play along.

“Better pick two,” he advises. “My track record so far consist of twins and triplets.”

The girl's smile falters, but doesn't vanish and she resumes brushing her hair.

“I'll keep that in mind,” she chirps. Loki crosses his arms and leans against the door. They're alone in Svana's one-room trailer, furnished only with single bed, wooden chest and a dressing table. There isn't a place for him to sit even if he wanted to.

“Have you spoken with Eir?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“They'll be large and you probably won't be able to deliver them naturally. And you're going to need spells to shield you from frost burns.”

She sighs. “Yes, I know.”

“Also, spells concealing their parentage.”

“No.”

He looks her in the eye.

“You do realize what they'll be.”

“Our children.” He opens his mouth to speak, but she doesn't let him. “Their skin color won't change that.”

“That's not what I mean.”

To that, she finally turns around to look at him without the mirror.

“Hasn't it occurred to you than all we've been told about Jötnar is as full of crap as what we know about proper roles for men and women?”

“It did. But it doesn't matter. I know it, you know it and perhaps Brunnhilde knows it... But people will feel otherwise. Our children shouldn't be used as a weapon in your little crusade.”

“It's not my crusade. At least it shouldn't be.”

Oh, so that's her play. Loki suddenly regrets getting caught up so easily. He scoffs then opens his arms.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I don't know.” The woman shrugs then turns her gaze back to her own reflection, like he wasn't worth her attention. And he wouldn't admit it, but it stings. “It's not my race that's being discriminated.” Loki presses his lips together, refusing to answer, so she tries again: “When you were doing these little plays back in old Asgard... I think I know why. You wanted to show us that Jötnar are people too. That they can be honorable and capable of great things. That they, too, can be worth loving.”

He scoffs. His reasoning was much more selfish than that. He wanted... Well, he thought that if he could make people accept his heritage, he could accept it too. Only much later did he think about using it to warm the general public to the whole Jötnar race and even started considering reparations for previous attacks. Sadly, return of Thor put an end to his plans.

“It's a child play,” he says. “Honestly, I was just bored and willing to see how far can I push it before Thor notices. I should have known that his eyes were always turned to outer Realms.” She gives out a nonplussed hum. “Beside, I can't really change anyone's mind. People accepted my plays, because they thought I was dead and couldn't harm anyone.”

“They got at least half of it right.” Loki snarls but before he can speak, she cuts him off. “No, stop. Brunnhilde says that long ago we and Jötnar lived in peace. That they were no different to us than Vanir or Alfar. And yet for the past thousand of years, we only know them as monsters. And I have to say, I only met one in my life. Isn't that strange? Thousands of Vanir, Alfar, Dwarfs and others... and just one Jötunn. But I have to say...” She inhales deeply. “That he is the most kind, generous and loyal person I've ever seen. Genius in many aspects. And a complete idiot in others.”

Loki frowns slightly.

“You're the second person in my life that calls me idiot.”

“Well, you should think about it. And about the future you want to build for your children.”

“I was actually thinking about ditching it all and running to the other side of the galaxy.”

The look she sends him through the mirror is undecipherable, but somehow it feels heavier than any judgment she could make.

“That's your choice to make,” she says simply.

* * *

Loki's at loss. He's so used to people telling him what to do! Odin telling him how to be a good king (despite never planning to make him such). Thanos telling him how to command and conquer (despite never planning to leave him enough people to actually rule). Thor telling him to know his place, come home or just shut up. And even when he reached the point when he listened to others purely to oppose them, their words still mattered. They added... some sort of order to his otherwise chaotic world. Everyone's sudden willingness to let him decide for himself leaves him... baffled at best. As if they trusted him to make the right choice.

But what is the right choice anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there, guys :)
> 
> There are some references to previous chapters, if you spot them... well, you won't get anything, but you'll be able to feel smug about it :P
> 
> About some exotic words:
> 
> 'Drekar' was viking longship. I use this name to describe those flying things Asgardians in movies are so fond of, because I'm not sure if they have any official name.
> 
> 'Hamingja' is a kind of protective spirit in Norse mythology. Loki calling that a girl would be an equivalent of calling her 'an angel'.
> 
> 'Svana' means 'Swan'.


	8. Fantastic creatures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which New Asgard gets some finishing touches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last two chapters, guys! They're on a shorter side, but they're so different that I decided to split them. This one is actually almost entirely pure, self-indulgent worldbuilding (with a bit of action at the end), so, you know. You have been warned.

The frame of Asgard gets filled soon enough and the last phase of construction begins. Once again, Loki has to work day and night, bringing in a cavalcade of ships filled with dirt, seedlings and caged animals from Alfheim and construction materials and machinery from Nidavellir.

In Tony's words, from the outside, the new world looks very much like H.R. Giger's Island of the Dead. In terms of area, it's similar to some of the Earth's biggest cities, with mile-high walls of dull, strangely veined metal and only one crack, barely wide enough to fit scaffolding for what will become the Rainbow Bridge.

The inside doesn't look like much yet, but knowing the dwarfs' design one could start discerning certain features. There's a large basin between the center and the Bifröst crack, that in time will be turned into a lake. Facing the crack is a cliff: a foundation of the future castle and the city. Six ridges driven through the world will be riverbeds. Spare rocks gathered near the outer walls – that from this side are almost transparent – will in time turn into mountains.

* * *

And despite the fact that New Asgard is nothing more than a frame yet, Loki can already feel it and it's amazing. The sheer, unadulterated power flows through his veins, hums in his bones and saturates the flesh.

And what's more, it makes him one with Asgard. He tests its boundaries, but it seems there are none: the mile-high walls of the world bend to his will, ground waves like a sea and giant boulders the elves try to arrange into mountains roll like marbles. Finally, the elvish leader Ain'ockh asks him to put his power to use and help them with landscaping and he graciously obliges.

Even better though, Loki also realizes that he can bestow some of this power unto others. In a way, he always knew it's possible: the legends of old gods didn't come from nothing. Eir truly is a goddess of healing and Heimdall really has a vision spanning the universe. Even Thor's control over thunder stems from Odin's blessing. All of that, of course, diminished when the old Asgard was destroyed along with its power source, although at least judging by the healer's words, it seems to be coming back now that the engines are working again.

But knowing that and feeling it are two different things. And given that most of the gods of old are either dead or ancient, Loki starts wondering, to whom he should bestow his gifts.

He immediately decides to grant Nanna the control over nature – the same that Idunn once wielded. Her appointment was a caprice more than anything, but she proved herself to be talented and dedicated and at the same time completely untamed: just like nature ought to be.

He briefly considers bestowing Svana with a power of love – or maybe maternity? – but decides against it. She would probably be more grateful to be the goddess of the forge. A fire maybe? But that wouldn't be safe with two ice creatures growing inside her. He decides to leave that for later.

Brunnhilde is another candidate, despite their initial differences. But when he suggests it to her on one occasion, she immediately asks to be the goddess of mead. Loki politely declines, worried that if he agreed, they would find all of Asgard's crops fermenting even before harvest.

* * *

A few weeks later, when the terrain is shaped, the elves start planting their forest. Most of the load is already here, so Loki gets to catch his breath, and Tony Stark uses this opportunity to present him with a request with which Bruce was bugging him since his return from the outer space. And so they gather: Odinsons, science bros and an Ain'ockh, leader of the elves, standing at the large balcony of bare concrete overseeing the future forest. Before them, magically enhanced trees shoot from the ground with speed of starting shinkansens.

“They're only here to provide the framework,” explains Ain'ockh. He's shorter even than Tony, with ivory skin and dark hair elaborately plaid and decorated with feathers. His face is nearly human-like, but strangely elongated, with chin, lips and nose protruding forward, steep forehead and oblique eyes facing almost sideways. His clothing is made of leather and richly garnished with stone beads – with absolutely no trace of metal. “They may grow fast, but their quality is much lower: the wood is brittle and plants prone to disease. But they will allow us to create similar conditions to what we envision your world to be. We're going to introduce plants and animals in few phases, giving them chance to acclimatize before introducing next batch.”

“How long will it take?” asks Loki, for the sake of humans no doubt – he was the one commissioning the forest, and knowing him, he had to know everything before accepting the project. However, the elf seems content to explain it again.

“Theoretically, we envisioned all phases to be complete in about twenty-thirty years. However, if that's possible, I would like to stay behind with a few fellow seithis and observe for at least a century.”

“You expect trouble?” asks Thor.

“No, but I'm ready for them. Keep in mind, my liege, that New Asgard is unlike any environment I've ever worked with. Limited space, controlled climate, lack of seasons and strong cosmic radiation, all of this may prove... problematic for certain species. The ecosystem we constructed is so complex that it should survive even if some of its elements won't, but we'd rather monitor the situation and react as soon as we detect a problem than wait for it to escalate.”

“You can stay indefinitely,” Thor offers unexpectedly. Loki sends him incredulous look, but the king doesn't seem to notice: “If Asgard is to be self-sufficient, we can't afford environmental collapse. And who is better suited to take care of it than the ones who designed it? We can even make your role official, give you vote in the Thing or something.”

“You are most gracious, my liege,” the elf says and bows respectfully, undoubtedly pretending not to notice dirty look Loki sends the king behind his back. Thor only smiles and quickly gets them back on topic:

“All right, now tell us more about your project.”

“We planned a wide variety of environments, each with unique resources: from rocky hills on the outskirts, through forests, meadows and wetlands, all the way to the gardens and pastures around the city.

All in all, the new ecosystem will include almost six hundred plant species – the ones salvaged from old Asgard among them – three hundred mushrooms, a thousand species of worms and insects, a hundred birds, forty mammals, six reptiles, six amphibians and three aobhinn. Plus, seventeen species of fish, twelve of water invertebrate and thirty of water plants for the lake.”

“What are those 'ao-thing'?” asks Bruce. So far he kept quiet, observing elves working below in silent awe, but now it seems that his curiosity took better of him.

“Aobhinn,” corrects elf. “They're animals that descended from reptiles but changed so much that they can no longer be considered such. But they are young, younger even than birds, so it's possible that they never made it to Midgard.”

“That's strange,” muses Tony. With a corner of his eye, he sees Bruce rolling his eyes, but he ignores it. Yes, biology was never his specialty, but he can't really let an intellectual conversation go on without him and if Bruce has problem with that, well, the whole thing was his idea so he can suffer the consequences. “You know, all my life, when I thought about alien organism I imagined things that are, well... alien. Now you're talking about birds, fish, mammal, things that are almost like the ones here on Earth. And you guys – you look almost human.”

“It's probably just convergent evolution,” suggests Bruce.

“Not exactly.” The elf looks at Loki, as if looking for affirmation and apparently receiving it he continues: “You see, our planets – so-called Nine Realms – are connected by a cosmic vortex. We call it Yggdrasil. Thanks to that our planets were very close in the past: the movement between them was no harder than movement between the continents. But, as the universe expanded, those bonds weakened and our worlds drifted apart. You can see the proof of this when you compare the creatures across the Realms: the oldest lines, like fish, amphibians or even turtles are almost identical wherever you go. But the younger the line, the more it stands out. For example, many of the birds in Alfheim retained their claws and teeth. Mammals in Alfheim don't belong to any clade known on Earth, but they are often similar in shape and yes, that is convergent evolution. There are also even younger groups, that exist only in one Realm. Like the aobhinn of Alfheim or Lyngbakrs of Asgard, the latter sadly extinct now. Presently only a few paths between the worlds remain and only the greatest sorcerers of our time know how to find them.”

“All right, enough of that smart talk,” commands suddenly Thor, earning a dirty look from both Tony and Bruce. In retrospect, inviting him to what was about to be a scientific debate, wasn't the best idea. But Tony has no doubt that Bruce is already planning to nab the elf later on and ask him all about the old paths and evolution history. Well, he is also probably gonna ask Loki some questions, mostly regarding that Yggdrasil thing, but that obviously has to wait. “Tell us about the resources.”

“We consulted our project with prince Loki as well as craftsmen of Asgard.” The elf bows slightly towards Loki. “We tried our best to made sure that all needs of your people will be met.”

“And I'm pretty sure I passed all the documentation regarding the project to you,” scorns Loki, making Thor blush slightly and murmur something about too many duties. The Trickster sighs and continues: “You have to believe me then when I say that New Asgard will be as self-sufficient as possible.”

“So, what will we miss?” asks the king, not letting his brother's omission slip. Loki's lips quirk, as if in approval.

“Ores, for start. Metals, salts, minerals, coal. But asteroid mining should solve that if you're serious about it. Also, no whale oil, New Asgard is too small to keep whales...”

“Surely, if we filled it all with water instead of the forest...” starts Thor frowning.

“Then we wouldn't have space to grow our crops,” cuts him Loki. “And we'd have to rely on other realms again. No, Thor, it's either this or that.”

“If I may, my prince,” slips the elf. “Bhoati nuts can be pressed for oil. Though the quantity may not be what Asgard is used to. Not enough to light every street and house with thousand lamps.”

“We'll have to switch to magical lighting then,” proclaims Loki. Thor hums with something dangerously close to displeasure but doesn't say anything. He just gestures at the elf to continue.

“Most of the plants will bear food in one form or another, others can be used to make paper, fabrics, dyes, cosmetics, medications, rubber, resin, glues and other resources. Also, the trees themselves will provide you with seventeen types of precious wood, though they will not be ready for harvest for at least half a century. Even though we already planted them in Alfheim and will move them as saplings.”

“Why don't you seed them here?” asks Bruce.

“The roots host a vast array of living beings, too small for us to see, but irreplaceable in keeping plants alive. By moving saplings along with the roots and bits of dirt trapped between them, we can introduce those organisms to new soil without any effort from our side.”

“Huh.” Tony ignores the warning look Bruce sends him. “I thought you elves are supposed to be keepers of mysterious knowledge. Magic or something. This stuff you're saying... It sounds surprisingly close to science.”

Too late he realizes that this could probably sound racist or something – specie-ist? He starts wondering if elves are sensitive about that. But fortunately, the gleam in seithi's eyes suggests he's amused rather than insulted.

“Not so long ago, your people would call invisible things making trees grow magical,” he notices.

Tony smirks.

“Touchè. Now we even have names for them.”

“Oh?”

“Microbes. Bacteria, fungi, viruses.”

“Fungi, mostly,” corrects Bruce before turning to the elf. “Please, forgive my friend. The presence of... extra-terrestrial beings is still overwhelming to him.”

Tony opens his mouth to protest, but the elf is faster.

“It's all right. Frankly, I'm impressed with the progress your kind has made. Last time our species interacted, our ancestors had to use magic to convince yours to wear clothes.”

Tony shuts his mouth with a click.

“Can we please get back to the topic?” asks Loki with slight impatience, making the man infinitely grateful.

“Of course,” the elf responds with his usual politeness. “As for other organisms, fungi are mostly introduced to maintain natural balance, but some species can be used for food, recreation or medication. There's also a wide variety of animals. They're all in excellent genetic condition, free of disease and parasites. They're also tamed, which means that you can either domesticate them or let them roam free and hunt as you need.”

“Tell us what animals are they and we'll tell you what we'll do with them,” proclaims Thor.

“For start, certain Asgardian species survived in captivity in Alfheim and now we can bring them back where they belong. That includes all three rooster species: gullinkambi, fjalar and vidopnir. Another surviving species is ratatosks.”

Loki grimaces.

“They're pests, we should get rid of them,” he says. Elf frowns, looking slightly offended.

“They're essential for the propagation of mimameidr tree,” he says, provoking a sigh from the prince.

“And we already have mimameidr tree?”

“Yes, if you want to keep mimameidr nuts on your tables.”

“That's all very good,” Thor interrupts before the quarrel has a chance to escalate. “But what about animals we can hunt? Surely, you don't expect us to feed on squirrels.”

The elf picks up.

“Unfortunately, the presented area is not big enough to support stable populations of large beasts your people prefer. However, we found five species that are not demanding and can provide a fair game. First, water pigs.” He waves his hand in a peculiar way and an image appears, slightly transparent and hovering above the ground. Tony's not sure if it looks more like a tapir or oversized beaver – not a pig, that's for sure. It's small and round, with webbed feet and fan-shaped tail. It's covered in sleek brown fur and has the ugliest head the man has ever seen: no ears, tiny eyes, short trunk and two walrus-like tusks pointing directly downward. “Perhaps you remember I mentioned that part of the area would be dedicated to wetlands. Initially, we planned to use them mostly to grow mudbulbs, but we figured that water pigs will provide much preferable fare. They have delicious, fatty meat and high-quality leather that is flexible and durable. They can be a challenging game due to their penchant to hiding. Then there are digging pigs.” The elf waves his hand again and the image gets replacet. The next animal looks more like its namesake, but with a giant hump on its back, flat, wrinkled head and four long violet tusks. It has very short legs and is covered in striped, black and brown fur. It also seems to have a row of bony knobs on its back and long naked tail of a rat. “They thrive in almost all environments and grow for their whole lives – the biggest ones are strong enough to uproot trees and should provide a good fight for your hunters. You can hunt them for meat, leather that is tougher than that of the water pigs, as well as their ivory, which one of the most precious materials known in Alfheim. But, if left unchecked, they can quickly turn into pests, so caution is advised. Next are dainns.” This one resembles a small deer, but with twisted horns, more like that of a ram. It has an arched back, long limbs and neck and white horizontal stripes on its otherwise brown fur. “I think it also originated in Old Asgard but spread to all Realms. It's one of the fastest animals alive and great at hiding. And then deiha.” This one doesn't really look like anything on Earth, with toes on front legs, hooves on the hind ones, a short trunk and ridiculously long ears that almost reach the ground. It's the tallest of the presented beasts, but also the most slender and its body is covered with long, sandy brown wool. “They can be easily domesticated if you wish so. They make a faithful companion and although they lack the strength to carry an adult Aesir, they give a very good wool and milk. Both of which can also be obtained from a mountain goat-antelope.” Deiha image is replaced by a picture of an animal that indeed resembles a mix between goat and antelope: with slender body, strong legs and forked horns, connected to strange bony plates covering the sides of its head. Its fur is long and gray, with slightly darker ends. But the closer look reveals long spikes half-hidden between the hair. Also, its tail resembles a barbed whip. “Although acquiring it may pose a challenge, given that the barbs are venomous.”

“What about carnivores?” asks Loki. From their previous conversation, Tony knows that Asgardians are really fond of eating predators – preferably true monsters. Apparently barbed, venomous hell-goat is not good enough.

“The large ones would quickly decimate the rest of the fauna. But, for the sake of population control, we decided to introduce a few species. First, a brown tree-fox.” Another wave of elf's hand summons an image of a small canid with big eyes and ears and short legs ending with eerie human-like hands. Unlike others, this image moves, skittering quickly around the tree trunk before climbing up and disappearing between the leaves. “They're small and usually content to feed on birds and rodents. But their fur is highly prized, even in Asgard. There's also a marbled cat.” The next one looks like literally every other cat in existence. Same shape, same proportions, same face. It has beautiful fur though, covered with silver and black marbling. It's a bit smaller than a lynx and has a long, fluffy tail and round ears. “A solitary hunter, great on land, in water and the trees. Also, dwarf water serpents. They're actually smaller cousins of Asgardian water serpents.” Tony doesn't want to think how big is a regular water serpent since this one is roughly the size of an anaconda. Its jaw opens vertically instead of horizontally and its head is surrounded by a crown of whiskers, spikes and fins. It also has long, frilled fins on both sides of its body and tail ending with a forked sting. “And finally, habrok, a wolf-bird.” The last beast doesn't really look like a wolf, more like missing link between a bird and a dragon. It's around five feet tall, with long legs and neck, clawed wings and a teeth-filled beak. It's covered in jutting red and brown feathers with golden crest, but its face and whip-like tail are bare. Tony thinks that he wouldn't want to face it without his suit.

“I was hoping for a more formidable game,” complains Thor. His brows are furrowed and arms crossed in clear disapproval.

“I know Asgardians are used to large prey, monsters and sea-beasts,” answers the elf, completely unaffected. “But keeping them on such a small land is impossible.”

“You already said that.”

“Yes. And therefore, I'd like to suggest... some dietary changes.”

“We can't feed our people with grass if that's your idea.”

“No. But there are... smaller animals that can be kept in large quantities and taste no worse than your usual prey.”

“You suggest we eat rats?” Now it's Loki's turn to frown, but even joined discontent of both brothers is not enough to affect the elf.

“Not necessarily, although I'll have you know your revulsion is merely a social construct. A rat living in clean conditions provides meat of the same quality than deer. But no, I meant other animals. If old Asgardian cookbooks are to be believed, ratatosks were frequently consumed by your ancestors.”

“In times of famine,” protests Thor gloomily.

“Aobhinn then? They're bigger and considered a delicacy in some parts of Alfheim.” Both brothers look at the elf without enthusiasm and he waves his hand, summoning an image of another beast. “Lac'chia, the scale-beast.” Tony immediately understands what the elf said earlier about it being descendant of reptiles. It has their sprawling limbs, but its head ends with large beak and body is covered with scales resembling that of a pangolin. “Or Aorn'chia, the turtle-beast.” The second one is an honest-to-god dinosaur: one of the quadrupeds with back covered with bony plates and spikes. Ankylosaurus? Yeah, one of those, but merely the size of a large dog. “Or Kink'chia, armored-beast.” The last one, if Tony remembers the number correctly, is almost human-sized, with short limbs and back covered with plates of hardened skin. It has a tiny head with something that could be a thin beak or a trunk and paws endowed with impressive claws. “Despite its intimidating look, it's mostly insectivore.”

“Rats or bug-eaters,” snorts Thor. “I'm not sure if you're deliberately trying to insult us...”

The elf blushes and bows his head.

“We were considering introducing two more mammalian species,” he admits defeated and waves a hand, summoning another image. “Eikthyrnir, a crowned deer.” It's the biggest deer Tony has ever seen. And also the most graceful, with legs so thin it seems like the animal should fall over any minute. Its antlers are all wrong though, really resembling a crown more than anything. Also, its fur is very bright, almost white. “And tanngnjóstr, Asgardian goat.” If the crowned deer is the embodiment of grace, the goat is the exact opposite. It's equally big, but twice as massive, with strong legs and head of a battering ram. Looking at it, Tony stops wondering why goats were once considered the emissaries of Satan. This thing looks like it could batter him into a bloody pulp and feast on his soul.

Thor, upon seeing it, brightens immediately.

“We're taking both,” he exclaims enthusiastically, ignoring warning hiss coming from Loki. Ain'ockh bows slightly.

“Very well, your majesty. Just be aware, that population will be small and therefore you will have to introduce new members from other worlds every once in a while. At least once every century. But preferably much more often.”

“Uh, Thor, can I talk to you for a minute...”

Not waiting for a response, Loki grabs his brother's arm and tugs him few steps away before looking him in the eye and saying:

“Thor, I don't know how to say it... We're flat broke.”

The look the Thunderer sends him could only be described as threatening.

“Don't think I didn't notice those stacks of gold you keep in your room,” he growls with what he must consider a deceptive calmness.

“You think I keep it for myself?! It's already spent! Most of it will actually go to the elves for all their plants and animals. The rest will barely cover the weapon and armors for our army of twenty. And we still need to pay off Vanaheim...”

“All right, so where can we get more money?”

“I don't know.” Loki shrugs and looks at his brother helplessly. The other one still seems to await the answer though, so he shrugs and offers, without conviction: “A viking?”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Thor scoffs. “Who are you gonna rob?”

“Well, you come up with something!”

For a while, they stare at each other in silence, until Thor's only eye gleams with joy at the sudden realization and Loki immediately knows he's not going to like it.

“A dragon.”

“No. No way.”

But he can already see that the battle is lost, the king's face brightens with enthusiasm as he starts his planning:

“Yes! Dragons gather riches, we just need to find one especially wealthy, kill it and take its goods.”

“Thor, that's... the dumbest...”

“Oh, come on, Loki. You went to kill dragon yourself and didn't even make a dime.”

“Lost my sight and almost died in the process. No Thor, I can't...”

“This time it will be different.” Thor grabs Loki shoulders and pulls him closer. “This time we'll go together. And I won't let any filthy beast hurt you, I promise.”

For a moment Loki just stares at Thor, considering his words. In the end, though, he knows well enough that if the Thunderer got some idea, it's nearly impossible to dissuade him.

* * *

Four of them go. Thor and Loki in one Chitauri jet, Tony and Brunnhilde in second. Heimdall finds them a promising dragon and Loki uses Tesseract to transport them to Muspelheim. The travel feels weird, but luckily it's fast: one second they're on Earth, flying around New Asgard, the next everything turns bright blue and then red. Tony sure is glad he took his environmental suit: the readings show the temperature is high above a hundred degrees and the atmosphere contains enough sulfuric acid to turn his lungs into jelly. Everything is covered in thick smoke and they have to switch to sonars just to make sure they're not going to hit the wall.

They appear inside a canyon, at some distance from the dragon's lair. They proceed slowly, carefully so it takes them a while to arrive at their destiny. But finally, the smoke parts and the canyon opens into a giant cave where, for the first time in his life, Tony sees a dragon.

It looks like he always imagined it: big, menacing, winged lizard. But it is enormous: roughly the size of an industrial warehouse, with legs as thick as grain silos, neck as long as train and head like a tank. A mean, horned tank. The beast even has wings, though they are not immediately visible, kind of dragging on the floor behind the body. Tony remembers Loki mentioning that this one is old, probably too big to fly and hopefully too frail to do actual damage.

Somehow it spots them as soon as they emerge and opens its mouth to spit fire. Spit fire! How is that even physically possible?! Ideas race through Tony's head when Valkyrie swerves their jet to avoid the shot. They barely make it, but the others are not so lucky: they lose a wing. Tony hardly notices a small silhouette detaching from the vehicle and charging towards the beast, with red cape billowing behind it. For some reason the creature doesn't spit fire again, instead lifts its paw to swat the intruder like a fly – but it misses and gets hit square in the forehead. Its head sways to the side and at this moment the damaged jet rams into the soft spot where it connects with the neck. The beast roars in pain. Yet when the explosion dies out, the dragon doesn't look worse for the wear.

In the meantime, the Valkyrie steers to the other side, shooting at the beast, but its skin is too thick and Chitauri gun too weak – she can't even make it flinch. It's then that Tony decides to try his own luck. He jumps out and darts around the head, looking for a place to hit. For a second there he sees a small, green-clad figure, desperately holding to one of the horns and aiming his ridiculously small dagger at the reptile's eye. Good idea, Tony thinks before another roar almost knocks him out of the air. Then he near misses being swooshed by a giant head dripping blood and fluid. On the other side, Thor isn't as lucky and he crashes to the ground. Loki also loses his grip.

Figuring that there's nothing for him to do there, Tony flies away from the head, trying to get under the beast. He vaguely remembers that there should be a soft spot somewhere between the arm and the chest? But in a thick smog, he can't see a thing: no part of the beast stands out, it's all covered in the same dark scales. Tolkien was a bloody liar. He tries tank missiles, not really holding any hopes, but the hit under the knee is somehow effective and the beast buckles a bit.

With a corner of his eye, he sees a red dart and turns just in time to see Thor hitting the monster in the back of its head. The god must've found a big-ass ax somewhere and even managed to lodge it between beast's armor plates, but frankly, it's like scratching a mountain. On the other side, Loki also found a new weapon: a javelin, far too long for someone his size. Alas, he decides to use it more efficiently than Thor, thrusting it firmly into the side of the dragon's skull. For a while, Tony wonders how it managed to pierce the skin, but then realizes it didn't have to. Loki lodged it into a monster's ear. The beast roars and tries to shake the pest, but it loses balance and falls to its knees. It opens mouth again and Tony sees a ball of fire igniting inside. He wants to scream, to warn his friends, but then a wall of ice crawls into existence all over the dragon's head. It's not enough to extinguish the fire...

But enough to contain it.

The explosion shakes the air, followed by a loud thud. The beast has fallen. It's still moving, but its head is a bloody mess, with jaw literally ripped in two. Then Thor falls from above with his ax and the skull splits like a rotten coconut.

The fight is over.

Tony turns away, trying to fight nausea, and only then does he have the chance to make out what they really came for. And surprisingly... It looks like a giant dump. The first things he notices are the remains of heroes that came before them. Skeletons, not all of them humanoids, some whole, others fragmented, most still mingled with their armors, weapons clutched in bony hands and magical amulets hanging uselessly around their necks. There are even some vehicles, Asgardian gliders and alien spaceships, most of them mangled and blackened from fire. What lays beneath is... a bit harder to classify. There's something that looks like a golden rooftop. And a giant, sculpted gate of bronze. A lot of statues, made of marble or ivory, covered in golden foil and studded with gems. Golden plates and chalices, and other tableware. And then the real treasures: coins, ingots, jewelry, weapons and other artifacts, which forms and purposes are completely indiscernible for a human. And on the very bottom, heaps of pearls and gems, both raw and cut: diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, amethysts and others.

It takes him a while to shake his awe off. He was rich his whole life, but affluence on Earth looks different. This... This looks like something taken straight out of Arabian Nights or some shit.

Finally though he descends and lands next to Thor and Loki, who are already examining the carcass, as if trying to make sure it's really dead. They're both covered in body fluids and soot, panting heavily and grinning maniacally.

“We did it,” says Thor. He seems flushed, but otherwise unperturbed, barely minding filth he's covered in as well as bruises he has to spot underneath.

“Yes, we did,” confirms Loki. He, on the other hand, is already grimacing with disgust and trying to wipe the blood off his sleeves, quite unsuccessfully. Thor looks at him and his smile mellows, becoming sweet, almost nostalgic.

“I really missed that,” he admits. “You and me, fighting together...”

It's clear he wants to say more, but at this moment the ground shakes again. Loki raises his head, his smile that appeared no one knows when disappearing immediately.

“You think the same thing I do?” he asks.

“Surtur,” Thor grinds his teeth and clenches his new ax. “Well, if he asks, we came here for a weregild.”

“I think we shouldn't really say anything.”

“Then take us out of here!”

Loki sends a last, wistful look toward the carcass.

“No, brother, there's no time to harvest it for potion ingredients,” scolds Thor, tightening the grip on his ax.

“At least stop scrubbing that blood, I may be able to salvage something.”

But Loki's already holding the Tesseract. It still takes him a while to encapsulate not only them but also the mountains of wealth around. In seconds though, the smoke dispels and Tony can see a figure of a man as ridiculously gigantic as the dragon they just killed and realizes that he's really not looking forward to another fight. But then they disappear in a wave of blue light and suddenly the sky is blue again, the grass green and the thumping of giant footsteps turns into a familiar buzz of Asgardian camp.

He exits the suit and plops on the grass. Thor and Loki sit beside him and even Brunnhilde exits the battered jet.

“We will need all the people of Asgard to sort through this,” says Thor pointing at the nearest pile.

“Yeah... just watch their hands,” murmurs Tony, remembering some nugget of ancient wisdom. “They say dragon's gold can corrupt everyone but the purest of souls.”

“Asgardians are the purest souls,” protests Thor, but Loki scoffs.

“Look closely and think again,” he says. “How much do you think they can pocket?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing irks me as much as reading stories happening on the other side of the galaxy where characters can be seen eating, for example, apples. I mean dude... You can't grow apples in Greenland, how do you expect to find them on the other side of the freaking galaxy? At least write that your character eats a fruit that looks like an apple, or I don't know, eat a coclaxi fruit or something.
> 
> Just not an effin apple.
> 
> Also, if someone asked me I could probably come up will all five hundreds plant species and hundred+ animals. Insects and fungi may be a problem, but heck, with a bit of thought I could do that too. I love coming up with alien worlds and creatures, more than actual characters, I think.
> 
> So, yeah. I, uh, I should probably get my priorities in check.
> 
> Also, Ain'ockh look was inspired by physiognomy, especially illustrations by Giambattista della Porta. I didn't have any specific illustration in mind, I kind of imagined him as antelope-man. In my head, such exaggerated, animal-like features are typical of elves (the owl-man from the previous chapter also had some elvish blood).


	9. The Coronation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the story culminates.

And finally, ten months after the crash, the New Asgard is complete.

The major landmark is the castle: colossal fluted construction of solid gold. Tony wonders how do they provide air circulation, but Loki explains that it's just a permanent illusion, concealing numerous windows, balconies and lattices. The main gate is wide enough to fit a marching army and decorated with figures of lions and dragons. It opens to a wide plaza, some ten stories above the surface of the lake, but at just about the right level to meet Bifröst. It doesn't mean that below lays only solid rock: from the bridge, one can see large openings of the docks for gliding drekars, and Loki says that the underground also hosts barracks, servants' quarters, treasury, granary, dungeon and even connects to the service levels below the surface of the world.

Above the ground, the plaza itself is long, but narrow, encircled by a wall – more ornamental than defensive: mat golden, like everything here, and decorated with reliefs. On both sides smaller gates open to the city, situated on gentle slopes falling all the way to the lakeshore.

Close to the castle are mostly public buildings: national library, archive, seidr academy, Loki's museum (currently holding the most exotic of dragon's treasures), Thor's Hall of the Heroes with statues of old kings, royal mint, main court, embassies and ministry of environment. All big, colorful buildings, decorated with sculptures and banners. The style is like nothing seen on Earth: a mix of medieval and futuristic with an overabundance of moving plates of mat gold, with some elements just dangling in the air like it's no big deal. The mansions of nobility are also here, easily recognizable: not as tall as other buildings and surrounded by gardens.

Beyond that are residential quarters. The houses are large, made to hold multi-generational families. Many of them hold shops or workshops on the ground level, others are flanked by gardens. Main building material here is stone and the style is more akin to earthly medieval – but only in the same sense that Steampunk art is akin to nineteenth-century technology. The sheer scope of the buildings would be impossible for medieval architects or at least limited to cathedrals, and frequent decorations cater to tastes much more sublime than that of the simple townsfolk. And there's the whole issue of various high-tech gizmos attached here and there, which purpose Tony can't even begin to guess. Streets are wide, paved with granite and often swell into plazas and squares, richly decorated with statues of polished bronze and silver fountains, with perfumed water dripping up, down and sideways, with zero regards for something as trivial as gravity.

There are also public buildings here: two market halls, four schools, a theater and an arena. A wide road encircles the city, planned for racing rather than day-to-day movement. Finally, at the very edge of the city, there's a forge, a shipyard and few other workshops. For now, they take up more space than houses – after all, there's barely six hundred Aesir plus around hundred immigrants – but Loki hopes that within few centuries this will change. Half of the women are already pregnant and youngsters more than ever ready to leave their families and start on their own, ignoring old customs and common decency alike.

Close to the Bifröst crack, the city gives way to pastures, shadowed sparsely by short, spreading trees. On other sides, it's surrounded by park barely dense enough to keep the area in shade, full of vast lawns, manicured flower patches, hedgerows of berry-bushes, gravel paths, benches and tastefully merged playscapes. Loki reveals that they plan to let tame gullinkambis, deers and other animals to roam free, making it sound to Tony more like some mythical Garden of Eden than any Earthly space.

Further away, the park slowly turns into forest farms (seems like the elves don't believe in mono-cropping) and real wilderness that continues all the way to the walls.

* * *

The official opening is, of course, an occasion for great celebration. There is supposed to be a big ceremony, combined with unveiling statues commemorating everyone who contributed to the construction, king's speech and some other crap. Asgardian populace gathers in front of the castle, along with dwarfs and elves. The filming crew hired by Tony takes strategic positions around the plaza, above them hover shiny new fleet: dozen open drekars, the same number of space fighters and two large cruisers, named Sleipnir and Hófvarpnir.

Later, everyone will move inside the castle, where the feast is being prepared. Halls, which in future will be turned into offices, are now filled with tables heavy with food and drink and decorated with banners and flowers (which are desperately needed since the walls are still bare, frescoes unfinished at best, even windows are often empty. They rushed the job, barely allowing dwarfish builders to remove scaffolding before the Big Day).

As the time to begin draws near, the atmosphere in the castle gets more and more nervous, with everyone running around, shouting commands and cursing. Most important people are already gathered in the entrance hall, preparing for the ceremony: Thor, members of the Thing, Avengers, ambassadors from Earth and other Realms. Everyone, that is, except Loki, who just stands in the corner, smiling like an idiot, utterly oblivious to everything around him. Finally, losing his patience, Thor approaches and slaps him in the face. But his hand flies through Trickster's head and seconds later the illusion melts down in a cascade of green light.

“He's not even trying,” huffs Thunderer exasperated then looks at Tony. The king got a new armor specially for the event, along with red cape and winged helmet – a little less ridiculous than the one favored by his brother and at least hiding still growing hair. Loki also got a new set – a horned headpiece now levitates where illusion of his head used to be. “Bring him in.”

“Where even is he?” huffs Stark, almost equally annoyed. He wonders if the Trickster is planning to bring some chaos to the ceremony or just skip it altogether. And he's not sure which would be worse.

“If I knew I wouldn't send you!” the king growls. To that Tony crosses his arms and looks at Thor unimpressed.

“I'm not a servant you can send anywhere.” Yeah, he wants to bring Loki in as much as anyone. And he can even understand the king's irritation. Still, he's fully aware now of his friend's shortcomings and he knows that if he let such behavior slip even once, Thor will never learn and will only become more insufferable in the future. “If you want something from me, you have to ask nicely.”

The god huffs, annoyed, but then realizes his lapse and smiles apologetically.

“I'm sorry, my friend. I'm just nervous. I don't understand why he can't even be bothered to show up at his own celebration. Just bring him in, please?”

That's better. Tony nods and turns toward the gate, but then he thinks better of it. He closes his suit and flies through the still unglazed window, avoiding the crowds. Guided by a strange feeling he exits the New Asgard and heads toward the old camp. It's abandoned now, people moved into their new houses and all that's left are empty trailers and a lot of trampled ground – even the grove has been dug out. The Thingstead still stands though, Tony's not sure if it's because it was deemed not worth the effort or it was left for humans as a souvenir. Soon the government of Norway will have to move in and transport all that crap away, plant some new grass or something. In a few months, there will be no trace of Asgardians.

Tony expects to find Loki in his old chambers and he's not disappointed. The Trickster's lying in his old Ikea bed, dressed in nothing but a green pajama and playing with a golden apple. Tony stops in the doorway and crosses his arms.

“Can you tell me, why are you not in Asgard, preparing to celebrate with everybody else?”

“I sent my replacement,” says Loki without even turning his eyes from the fruit.

“That's not an explanation. Why are you not there?”

“I'm just not interested.” The Trickster catches the fruit for the last time then turns away from Tony and curls.

“Why?!” the man almost screams, despite knowing it's not going to help him. When Loki gets some idea, getting it out of him is darn difficult. But it doesn't matter: Tony has practice.

“All the celebrations are the same,” explains Loki. “You saw one, you saw them all. Lots of talking, kissing each other's asses, smiling and pretending to have a good time. I'm not in the mood for that.”

Tony sits at the side of the bed and puts a hand on Loki's shoulder.

“You seem to forget what are they going to celebrate,” he says softly. Loki scoffs.

“I don't. They will.”

“You think so?”

“Come on, Tony.” The Trickster turns around to look him in the eye. His gaze holds memories of all the things he rarely speaks of, but Tony can recognize them all the same. Centuries of negligence, disregard, mockery. It's no surprise that Trickster would rather avoid talking about his accomplishments altogether rather than having them belittled again. But this time will be different, Tony knows it. It has to be. Despite the Trickster's next question: “You don't really think they gather to celebrate me?”

“They can't ignore your input.”

Loki snarls. “You don't know them.”

“Well, if they are, they're fucking deluded. And I'm gonna call them on that. I swear, I won't rest until they build you a statue so big that it's visible from every spot in this fucking world.”

That finally gets Loki to laugh softly and Tony can't help but smile too.

“Come on.” He nudges god's arm. “Let's go.”

They make it just before the ceremony starts and assume their position on stairs leading to the castle entrance shortly before some infernal noise tears through the air. Lurs, explains Loki, pointing to a balcony overseeing the plaza. Above the balustrade, one could barely see a row of flattened bells of some metal wind instruments. Apparently, all members of Brunnhilde's unit, as well as some other soldiers, were employed to play traditional Asgardian war music. Why war music, asks Tony. Well, apparently that's the only kind loud enough to accompany great events.

When the sound dies, the castle gate opens and Thor steps out. The real ceremony commences. 

In a way, Loki was right: the whole affair gets boring after few minutes (and must be even worse for the Trickster, who supported his brother vehemently in preparing for it). There's a lot of talking: first, jerking off all the Asgardians that made it through Ragnarök, praising their bravery and promising a glorious new start. Then, a long talk about the other races that were once under Odin's domain, gratitude for their input, declaration of eternal debt, a promise of brotherhood, peace, glory, protection and whatnot. And after that, Thor personally thanks the dwarfs that contributed to the building of New Asgard. That finally leads to uncovering great obelisk, that for Tony looks like a giant dick, but he doesn't say anything. The smooth black surface is covered with runes, that, Loki explains carry the names of all dwarf workers.

Just when Tony thinks it's over, Thor proceeds to thank elves of Alfheim for designing, implementing and tending to New Asgard environment. Unveiling another obelisk, equally phallic in shape, but made of whalebone and covered in slightly different, but equally undecipherable writing. Names of the elves, Tony guesses. It seems weird to him to celebrate environmentalists by killing endangered animals, but what the hell does he know?

He turns to Loki and notices Trickster holding the same dumb smile than his illusion did a few hours ago. It doesn't even look forced, it's clenching of jaw underneath it that worries the inventor. He reaches to tug at Trickster's arm and when Loki looks at him, for a moment his smile becomes genuine. Tony swears in his mind, that if Thor won't start talking about Loki now, he's going to blow both commemorative dicks to pieces.

And then it happens. Both obelisks are moved and placed on the sides of the Bifröst and Thor proceeds to talk about the greatest contributor to the rebuilding of Asgard. Loki rolls his eyes but freezes mid-movement when his name is being spoken. Tony has to push him forward when Thor reaches out and Loki trudges to the podium where he's immediately grabbed in a bear hug. The crowd cheers, louder than ever before and Loki looks around, befuddled, like he isn't really sure what's going on.

“We wouldn't do this without you,” Thor says, prompting his brother to look at him again. Loki opens his mouth and closes it, clearly not able to find the right words, but from his point Tony sees tears rolling down god's cheeks.

And then they uncover the statue. It's not gigantic, certainly dwarfed by a castle behind it, but Tony decides it will do. It depicts Loki in his signature horned helmet, holding a Tesseract in benedictory gesture, all cast in solid gold. It's placed right in front of the caste and from what Thor claims, it's supposed to stay there.

Finally, the spoken part ends and people are invited to the castle. The brothers disappear somewhere, so Tony shrugs and grabs Rhodey in one hand and Peter in another – after all, someone has to keep an eye on the kid – then dives into the crowd. It would be a shame to waste a good party after all.

And whoa boy, it's a great party. Twelve chambers were opened to the public, garishly decorated and filled to the brim with tables bearing food. Each of them also had a scene with bands from all over the Nine Realms (one of them being Earth's own Iron Maiden). Thousands of dishes were prepared for the occasion and people are eating like there's no tomorrow. But there's plenty for everyone. Almost all of it is meat, some animals roasted whole - and they're not chickens, oh no. There are deer, boars, some giant mean-looking birds, something that looks like prehistoric rhino, a few whales and sea serpent – and yeah, the last one is actually so large that it takes the whole table for itself, running from one end of the hall to another. There are almost no vegetables and only few fruits and flowers scattered around for decoration. The closest thing to plant food available is fresh, still warm bread and cold beer.

* * *

In another part of the castle, two figures sneak out to walk over the only empty hall left: the future throne room. Here, the scaffolding still stands, surrounding unfinished columns and reaching to rib-vaulted ceiling barely covered in sketches of future frescoes.

“What do you think about the ceremony?” Thor asks boastfully, as usual ignoring the fact that Loki took part in planning and organizing it. Still, prior to this day, the Trickster knew nothing about the conclusion – it was supposed to be a surprise and judging by the reaction, it was.

“It was... exquisite,” the prince admits, still feeling his throat tightening at the memory. It was... unlike any other celebration he's lived through. And he's grateful, infinitely grateful. That makes him hesitate before speaking again: “Now I'm almost ashamed to ask you a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Well... A loan really. Now that Asgard's treasury is full again, I thought you wouldn't mind.”

Thor looks at him quizzically. “Those riches are as much yours as mine. But can you tell me why do you need them in the first place?”

“Well...” Loki hesitates again. A part of him thinks that it's silly. But then again, if there's one person who will understand, it's Thor. “I want to pay a restitution for my past deeds. To Midgard... And to Jötunheim.”

“Jötunheim?!” The king stops abruptly and the smile on his face melts, giving way to surprise bordering on shock. Loki stops as well, but turns his head, afraid to look into his brother's eyes.

“Well, yes.” He shrugs, trying to hide his discomfort. “I wronged them too. Tricked them, killed their king, tried to destroy their realm...” He trails off, probably for the first time truly realizing the extent of his wrongdoings. It's not that he doesn't know what he's done... He just tried not to think about it, figuring there's no point dwelling on the past he can do nothing to change.

But running away never solved anything, did it? Though even now he isn't sure if he can offer anything that would make up for his sins. But then again... If he doesn't try, he won't know.

And still, everything hangs on Thor's approval. If the Thunderer refuses...

He swallows nervously and looks at his brother, noticing that Thor eyes him carefully. He feels his hope dying. It was foolish after all. Expecting Thor to offer some gold for Midgard is one thing, but Jötunheim? Yes, the king was ready to save Jötnar from extinction, but paying them restitution means much more – it means treating them like...

Like people.

He opens his mouth to tell Thor to forget about it, but the king speaks first and Trickster's jaw hangs open.

“You are right,” he admits. Loki looks up and meets his brother's gaze. It's warm and soft and bears something the Trickster have long lost hope to see and even now hesitates to name. “We should prepare legation to Jötunheim.”

“If it's not a problem, I would like to go myself.” Seeing puzzlement returning to Thor's face he quickly adds: “It's me who wronged them in the first place. So it's only fair if I pay for it. Besides, they may feel better if Asgard prince will come to them himself.”

“It wasn't only you who wronged them.” Thor's face takes on a look of shame and guilt. “But we'll do it as you wish.” The king nods, then his face smoothens again and he clasps his hand on Trickster's shoulder. “Loki, I cannot express how grateful I am that you are my brother.” He nudges him slowly towards the end of the room, to the dais and a throne. Loki hasn't looked at it yet, the memories of his own short stint still sore in his mind. But as they drew close it becomes inevitable. And then he notices something unusual.

There are two thrones.

“And therefore I want you to rule with me,” finishes Thor and Loki stops abruptly, not sure if he can believe his eyes and ears.

“But... there can only be one king,” he stammers. Thor smiles impishly, in clear imitation of Loki's own usual grin, that looks really weird on his face.

“Says who?” he asks.

“Well... How do you even imagine this would work?”

“I will defend Asgardians and you'll keep them fed and clothed.”

That finally breaks through Loki's stupefaction and the Trickster feels the smile creeping on his own lips.

“Oh, so you'll have all the fun when I'll be doing all the work,” he teases.

“Nah, I'll leave theater plays and parades to you.” Then Thor's smile vanishes, replaced by a solemn look. “I know you said that the only thing you want is to leave. That Asgard never brought anything good for you. But this is a new age for us. A new start, free from old burdens. And therefore I ask you to stay. I can't do this alone, Loki. I don't have your wisdom and patience and talents. The thing you did with building a New Asgard and leading people through that? I couldn't do it. Please, stay. We can rule Asgard together, as brothers. As equals.”

Loki opens his mouth, but then closes it, his silver tongue petrified, throat tight with emotions. He tries again...

And then he faints.

* * *

“This is no place for you.”

Loki doesn't turn away. He sits on a rock, on the edge of a vast, green meadow. Few inches from his feet the ground ends abruptly – deep blue sea roars below.

“Can you please not talk?” he asks. “I believe I am the closest to an absolute happiness I've ever been.”

Odin sits next to him.

“Do you think this is true happiness?”

Loki doesn't answer. The sea roars.

“You can't stay here forever,” nudges Odin. Loki sighs and lifts his head but still doesn't look at him.

“Did you ever... in my whole life... tell me a single word of truth?” he asks.

“Would you believe me if I said yes?”

Loki sighs.

“Why are you even here?” he asks instead of answering.

“I'm not.”

“I see you.”

“Think again. I'm dead. It's just you.”

“Is that what you saw every time you fell into Odinsleep? Ghosts of people you wronged?”

“How do you think?”

“Was I there?”

No answer.

“I can't do it,” starts Loki unexpectedly. “I can't... rule Asgard. I'm not worthy...”

“Why do you still care so much about the words of an old, dead liar like me?”

The old king's tone is taunting, but there's no real bite to it.

“Well, all my life you were telling me what I can or can't do...”

“And where did that lead you?”

“Besides, I already ruled Asgard. It was miserable.”

“This time will be different.”

“Because I have your blessing?”

Despite trying to keep this conversation civil, he can't keep mockery from seeping into his voice. But Odin doesn't seem to mind.

“Because you've earned it.”

For a while, they sit in silence. The only sound comes from the sea: there are no birds, mammals, not even insects. Just them two, the meadow and the sea.

“This time you can be yourself,” adds Odin when it becomes clear that Loki's not going to speak.

“Oh, I can see people of Asgard rejoicing...”

“They praised you today, didn't they?”

“They praise me now, because they got out of those filthy trailers. But soon, they will need someone to blame for their misfortunes, whose name they will curse behind my back and whose downfalls they will mock mercilessly.”

“People will always complain. You can't please everyone, all the time. You shouldn't have.”

“But I will have to, as a king. Or else...”

He doesn't finish and silence falls again.

“I'm sorry, Loki,” says Odin. Trickster finally looks at him but doesn't answer, with eyes focused and lips tightly pursed. “I failed you. When I took you in I swore to treat you as my own. Love you as my own...”

“But you didn't.”

“I tried.” A tear rolls on Odin's cheek and disappears in his beard. Loki swallows heavily. “I swear, I tried. But in the end, I failed you both, spoiling Thor and neglecting you. What happened to you is my fault.”

“It's not,” Loki protest, unexpectedly even for himself. “You raised us, but in the end it's us who made our choices. I could grow up to be a better person. So could Thor. But we are who we are.”

“It's not too late.” Odin reaches out and puts a hand on Loki's shoulder. “You can still choose.”

Loki nods but doesn't answer. The sea roars.

* * *

Loki wakes up with a gasp. He sits up immediately, but it takes him a while to come to his senses. Only then does he start noticing his surroundings: the bedding of the finest golden spider silk, bed with ornamental posts, people standing around. The chamber is small, barely enough to fit them all, but the ceiling is very high. Hexagonal in shape, with stained glass windows on every other wall and frescoed cupola.

It doesn't take Loki long to spot the adversary.

“You, damn charlatan,” he hisses and lifts his hand pointing at Strange, who stands closest to his bed, with outstretched arms and eyes widened in almost comical surprise. “Don't you dare to try your pitiful attempts at magic on me ever again!”

Green light flashes, blinding everyone for a moment and when it's gone, so is the doctor. Only his clothing remains, sprawled at the foot of Loki's bed.

“What have you done?” cries Tony and darts toward a spot where Strange stood a moment ago. He lifts the sorcerer's garb, as if expecting to find the man hiding underneath it. A quiet sound comes from among the fabrics and then something wet and heavy falls to the ground. A giant red and blue frog lands on it's back and starts to wave its legs trying to roll over. Scowling with disgust Tony flips it with his foot. The animal looks at him with reproach and croaks.

“Loki,” Thor scorns, but there's a smile on his lips and he seems more amused than angry. “Change him back.”

“Not in a lifetime,” Trickster says then flings himself back at his pillows. They are big, soft, golden but embroidered with green thread. Only now does he notice that even the stained glass, though mostly white, is decorated with golden and green knots. And the golden doors bear reliefs of dragons and serpents. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who this room was prepared for. “And if you touch me, you will be next,” he adds, spotting his brother's movement with a corner of his eye. Thor's hand drops as soon as it rose.

“Come on,” pleads the Thunderer. “He brought you back.”

“Well, I was pretty comfortable where I was.”

“Is it because of what I said?” prods Thor. “You know, I won't force you to do anything...”

“I know,” Loki cuts him, annoyed. “Believe it or not, not everything happens because of you. I just... needed a rest.”

“You were out for two weeks,” remarks Tony.

“We were worried,” adds Thor. Loki sighs.

“I'm sorry,” he says shortly. He doesn't say anything about his decision and they don't ask. For a long moment, an awkward silence reigns supreme.

“Can you change Stephen back?” asks Thor finally. Loki scoffs but defers.

“He'll turn back when the sun sets,” he decides graciously. Thor huffs but doesn't insist. He already knows how it feels to be a frog and he's obviously not eager to go through it again. He can make it up to Stephen later.

* * *

Tony fulfills his promise and as soon as Loki is able, they take the small ship – renamed after the Asgardian fashion to 'Gullfaxi' – to a fly test. They make a few rounds around the Earth, then fly to the Moon and back just for the heck of it. They probably did more, but Tony can't really remember, too focused on Loki's mouth around his cock.

It is an orgy ship, after all.

Afterward, they let Gullfaxi drift above the Earth when they lounge on a captain's chair.

“You still haven't given Thor an answer,” says Tony, when post-coital bliss wanes enough for him to think clearly. Loki grunts but doesn't say anything, so the man continues: “You can't keep him in the dark forever. Even if you want to leave, you at least have to say goodbye.”

Loki sighs, but still doesn't speak so Tony elbows him in the ribs. The Trickster grunts and moves away, but then he opens his eyes and looks at Stark carefully.

“The truth is, I still don't know what to do...” he murmurs.

“Do what your heart tells you to do...” declaims Tony with a fake dramatics.

But the prospect of Loki making his choice terrifies him. If the god stays on Asgard, at least Tony will be able to visit him from time to time, given the ban on mortals entering The Golden Realm has been lifted. He knows he won't be able to leave Earth permanently and Loki won't be able to visit it for a long time, but at least, sometimes... they will be able to see each other. But if Loki leaves...

Tony doesn't want to think what will that mean.

“That may actually be a problem,” grunts Trickster in response, as if not noticing – or more likely, ignoring – Tony's unease. After a while, he asks: “Do you think he's manipulating me?”

“Who, Thor?” Tony snorts. “Come on, he can't manipulate a TV remote.”

“I'm not sure. He's learning. That speech on Sakaar... almost got me.”

“He's learning to care,” corrects Tony gently, placing his hand on Loki's. “I don't know, Loki. Maybe stay for a while and see how it goes? If he's still acting like a prick you can leave anytime. You can actually use it as a leverage. 'Treat me well or else...'”

Loki scoffs.

“I was thinking of something similar,” he admits after a short pause. “But I'm not sure what Thor is going to think about it.”

“What is it?” Stark lifts himself on his elbows and responds to Loki's gaze with newly found interest. But the god doesn't answer, so he starts prodding: “Come on, babe, who are you going to be? King or scholar?”

“Why can't I be both?” Loki asks, trying to sound light and humorous and failing. Then he starts explaining: “The year is long. I could spend a part of it in Asgard... And another part away.”

“In Vanaheim?” asks Tony.

“For example.” Loki shrugs. “Of course, I would have to stay at first. For a couple of years, maybe. Until everyone is settled in and new agreements with other Realms signed. I wouldn't trust Thor with that. But then...” He trails off.

“That kind of reminds me, where are those friends of yours? I haven't seen them since the celebration.”

Truth be told, he hasn't seen them at the celebration either, he kind of assumed they were there, since, well, everyone was.

“In Vanaheim,” explains Loki. “I send them with a little... mission.”

“What mission?”

“I... wrote a paper.”

“Wait, like... scientific paper?”

He props himself on his elbow. He knows enough to know that sciences and magic in Asgard and other Realms are handled differently than science on Earth and sharing them is much less common. Loki has obviously been stealing some ideas from him. Not that he minds.

Loki actually blushes a bit then nods.

“Sort of. It's an instruction on how to find and access secret paths along the Yggdrasil. I want it to become public knowledge.”

“Why?”

“Because then people of all the Nine Realms will be able to move freely, without relying on Asgard and Bifröst.”

“Wouldn't it weaken Asgard's position?”

“And make everyone else stronger.”

Tony pauses for a while to think.

“So even when you're gone, you'll still be meddling with Asgard's affairs,” he notices. It's an elegant idea, really: endorsing Loki as both master of magic and a powerful politician.

The god shrugs. “I was raised to be a politician, Tony.”

“You don't seem happy about it, though.”

“It's just...” The god halts, as if even now not sure if he could share something like that. “What I wanted was never important. Not for anyone else and so... it stopped being important for me. It was all about what I had to be: prince, warrior, diplomat, support for my brother. Even the title 'God of Mischief' was given to me, though I considered playing pranks my only respite.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you don't know what you want?”

“I guess so.” The god's tone seems light, but his face bores the look of discomfort, even though he tries to hide it by turning his head and staring in the starry void behind the window. “Only in the last couple of months had I a chance to really think about it.”

“And...?”

“That's not much compared with a millennium of indoctrination.”

“Huh.” Tony pauses, not sure what to say. He never had such problems: though his path was also set from the beginning, he was lucky enough to both enjoy it and excel at it. If someone told him he could no longer be an inventor – or Stark (though, technically, he ceded most of his empire on Pepper long ago anyway) – he probably wouldn't know what to do either. “I'm sure you'll figure something out,” he states lamely. “You know, some people spend their whole lives searching. Some even say that it's not the purpose, but searching itself that matters. Maybe when you spend some time away from Asgard, you will start to see things differently, and, you know. Figure something out. I don't know, maybe you'll just make your own kingdom?”

He has no idea where the last part came from. He never thought about it and certainly wouldn't want Loki to try to conquer another world. He could still be elected for a king, if he played this right. There is something like elective monarchy, right? Somewhere?

Fortunately, the god decides to treat his words as a jest, because the corners of his mouth turn upward when he scoffs.

“Kingdoms are overrated,” he states with utmost conviction and Tony laughs, feeling his tension dissipating. 

“So you'll find something else to live for,” he says teasingly. “What would that be? Money? Fame? Love?”

Loki chuckles, but there's no mirth in it and Tony suddenly feels nonplussed again. “No one will ever truly love me...” The Trickster drops his gaze, his lips twisted into a bitter half-smile.

Tony can hardly believe his own ears. After all this time...

He grabs the god's chin and forces him to look up.

“Um, hello? Am I a dog?”

“What?” Loki's eyes widen in almost comical surprise and Tony smiles warmly.

“Yeah,” he confirms and reaches out to cup the god's face. “I think I may actually love you.”

“Are you serious?”

The god's voice is raw and still full of doubt, but there's a strange sheen in his eyes and Tony can't help but think about unshed tears or something equally poetic and pointless.

“Um, sure. I mean, I don't have a ring or anything to, you know, prove it, but I do.”

Loki opens his mouth, but then freezes mid-movement as something behind Tony's head catches his attention. His eyes widen in fear. The mortal turns around, but at first, he doesn't see anything: just an ocean of stars behind the glass. Soon though, one of them starts growing and it doesn't take long for Tony to realize what it is.

A spaceship.

Big one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, guys!
> 
> I always thought that Loki would be happier if he left Asgard and seek his luck elsewhere. Alas, I was pretty pissed when at the end of 'Ragnarok' he was left with nothing but his brother's dubious love. And we're supposed to believe it's somehow satisfying ending for his arc?
> 
> So, fuck it. I'm making him king (and if after a few years he decides he's sick of it, or Thor is being pain, he can still turn away and leave).
> 
> I don't plan to write any more in this story, in my head they defeated Thanos and lived happily ever after (and NO ONE died, saved for Purple Raisin of Doom and his cronies). But I have some extra scenes I may post later if you're interested.
> 
> Thank you, everyone, who read, bookmarked, commented and left kudos! Your appreciation means the world to me! And thanks to my wonderful beta, Caer O'Line, for putting up so long with my shitty spelling x)


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